


Another Step

by Seajellybaby



Series: The LA Series [17]
Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Angst, Drama, Fluff, Gay, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Romance, Soap Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-23 03:20:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23004922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seajellybaby/pseuds/Seajellybaby
Summary: The LA Series is my attempt to continue the Luke and Noah story from the finale onward.  I have tried to keep as true to the original show as possible.  I hope you enjoy it.As these stories are part of a series I have rated them all as mature - Just to be safe.____________________
Relationships: Noah Mayer/Luke Snyder
Series: The LA Series [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601257
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

_It was like one of those strange dreams a person has sometimes; when your mom’s your dad, or your sister deliverers one hundred baked buns on your doorstep. Just muddled and completely out of context… wrong…_

_But this wasn’t a dream. Here he was, Noah’s best man! Noah’s wedding! To a girl! All completely wrong!_

_It wasn’t fair! They were just starting to get to know one another as a real couple... on an intimate level... without the added stress of Noah’s dad or Luke's paralysis, or having to hide their true selves. For a while it seemed like they had the whole world ahead of them... waiting to be explored…_

_And now this?_

_Sure it was a sham marriage… everyone there knew it... except the minister, of course. But somehow Luke's heart wasn’t getting the message. It burned in his chest; his stomach in knots so tight he struggled to breathe. He couldn’t kick the feeling that by doing this, he and Noah were on a slippery slope to potential relationship failure... a scary downward spiral. This feeling just magnified as the ceremony officially started and Ameera appeared, looking every bit the bride she was pretending to be._

_“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today with these witnesses to join Ameera Ali Aziz and Noah Mayer in matrimony…”_

God! This is happening! This whole crazy fucked up thing is really happening!

_“…not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly…”_

Yeah right!

_He wondered how Noah was feeling. Terrified most likely._

_“And to this holy estate, these two persons present, now come to be joined. And if any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”_

_‘Forever’ sounded so loud to Luke! It stood out of the sentence, screaming its presence. Luke wanted to object! He wanted to express the millions of reasons why Noah and Ameera should not get married, but he was bound… bound by fate and by Noah's trust in him to carry on in silence. He closed his eyes; took a deep breath... opened them just as the minister continued._

_“Who supports this couple in their marriage?”_

_“We do,” he spoke automatically along with his family, following the pre-agreed script... the group lie... they would all tell and play a part in._

_“I understand that Noah has prepared a special reading?” the minister asked._

_Luke watched as Noah shakily removed the sheet of folded paper from his pocket... the paper Luke had given him._

_“Love is a gift that lacks meaning until it is shared. I see in you the love that I am truly blessed to know, the life that I’m sure…” Noah seemed unable to stop himself; he looked back at Luke, “...we’ll be blessed to have together...”_

_Luke felt his heart clench at the look on Noah’s face. It was a look of regret... an apology. A look of defeat._

_Those were words Luke had written. Noah’s words to him and his to Noah's.... stolen... however unintentionally, by this young woman at his side. A young, scared girl who needed their help to live... who needed them to make this sacrifice so that her life could be saved._

_“Noah Mayer, do you take Ameera Ali Aziz to be your wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort, honor her and respect her? Will you share all life has to offer, your hopes and dreams, your achievements and disappointments with her, from this day forward? If so, please say I will._

_“I will.”_

_Two small words like bullets through his skull._

_“Ameera Ali Aziz, do you take Noah Mayer to be your wedded husband? Will you love him, comfort, honor him and respect him? Will you share all life has to offer, your hopes and dreams, your achievements and disappointments with him, from this day forward? If so, please say I will.”_

_“I will.”_

_Luke wanted to hate her, but he couldn’t. He didn’t even think she truly understood how painful this whole event was for them. How could she, when she could barely understand their relationship at all? And how could he hate her, when her very survival depended on this marriage?_

_“What token of your love do you offer?”_

_Luke and Noah locked eyes as their fingers touched over the rings. He'd known for some time that he held extraordinarily strong feelings for this guy, but he was only in that moment truly coming to understand how strong they really were. So much was said in that look. Noah’s eyes pleaded for forgiveness... for understanding... at the same time were sorrowful. Hurting Luke was the last thing Noah wanted to do; Luke knew from just that look... drew strength from it. He felt a little better. He felt loved._

_The minister droned on, the entire event feeling agonizingly slow. “As we are gathered here today in celebration of the marriage of Noah Mayer and Ameera Ali Aziz, we ask that these rings and their marriage be blessed with peace, love and prosperity in all things. Noah, take this ring and place it on Ameera’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed and offer a symbol of our everlasting love.”_

_Every time Noah spoke, his voice would reach deep down into Luke’s soul._ _“With this ring I thee wed and offer a symbol of our everlasting love.”_

_“Ameera, take this ring and place it on Noah’s finger and repeat after me,” the minister instructed. “With his ring I thee wed and offer a symbol of our everlasting love.”_

_“With this ring I thee wed and offer a symbol of our everlasting love.”_ Ameera appeared so calm about what she was doing. It bothered Luke. He worried that she was confusing fake with real. 

_“Noah Mayer and Ameera Ali Aziz have made a commitment to each other in marriage. An invaluable part of their new life together will be the love, support and encouragement of the family and friends in attendance here today. And now, under the authority vested in me by the state of Illinois, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”_

Kiss? Hell no!

_But to his relief, Noah leaned forward; placed a gentle... platonic... and unassuming peck on Ameera’s cheek._

_“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present, Mr. and Mrs. Noah Mayer.”_

***

“Noah?” The bulk... totally covered by comforter and pillows... stirred slightly. Sitting up against the head of the bed, Luke leaned over to shake him. “Noah, can you wake up for a second?”

“What?” came a confused voice from somewhere within. Finally his dark and scruffy head emerged from the folds of material, like a bear emerging from hibernation. Noah looked about... disoriented. Noticing the clock he said, “Luke? It’s just after 3:30! What are you doing up?”

“Sorry bubby… I just need to ask you something, okay?”

Noah yawned broadly but nodded. “Make it quick...”

“How badly... no scratch that... how important is it to you that we hold the wedding on the farm?”

“You woke me up at this time to ask me that? Couldn’t it wait until morning?” It was at that moment Noah noticed the notebook Luke had rested up against his raised knees; pen in his hand. “Please tell me you’re not planning the wedding at this time of the morning!”

Luke looked sheepishly down as the pages before him. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I might as well make use of the time.”

Noah sighed; pulled himself up so that he was seated beside Luke... placed his arm around him. “What is it, Luke? Are you worried about Gareth’s visit tomorrow?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“It will be okay. Gareth’s a good lawyer. He’ll get you the best deal. You know that.”

“Oh Noah, I’m not concerned so much about that. Whatever the state decides should be my punishment I deserve it! It’s just, if I have to serve a sentence…”

“Luke, that’s not going to happen! Any judge will be able to comprehend that you weren’t yourself that night! It was your sister for God's sake! That's hard for anybody! Even the court psychiatrist said it was an understandable reaction.”

“But Noah, it’s a possibility. And if that’s the case... if I have to go to prison... then I’ll do it. I’ll take whatever comes my way. But it’s just, I’ll really miss you and Nicky, you know?”

“I know,” they rested their heads together, “same here.”

“And I want to be able to set a date for this wedding! And we can’t do that until we know my fate so… in the meantime… I’m going to make sure that all the planning and preparation is ready to go as soon as we can get a date in the diary. I don’t want to wait anymore!”

“Me neither,” Noah stroked his hair with one hand, up the back of his head; reached with his fingers to let them glide down, entwining his locks... tracing his shoulder. His blue eyes gazed at him... not breaking the look... very deliberately he leaned forward to kiss him. Soft lips pressed firm against Luke's mouth inducing another flood of memory...

*** 

_The door was locked... sealing them in. Alone. Free at last!_

_And it was Noah that pulled him in. It was Noah initiating things. It was Noah’s face lit with a fiery seduction Luke had never seen before. And it was Noah’s hands at the back of his head while they kissed._

_“Do I seem scared to you now?” Noah asked, as they pulled apart._

_“No,” Luke felt himself smile. “No… not really…”_

_And his shirt was gone, before he’d even noticed Noah’s hands grabbing at the hem of it. Their eyes were soaking up everything... chests heaving... Noah’s face awash with a burning desire._

_New to it all, Luke allowed himself to be led._

_Pretty soon they were a mass of arms and legs and flesh on the double bed. Luke felt Noah’s hands like a heat all over his back... his chest... curling up around his neck. Noah whipped his own shirt off in one sexy motion... in urgency. Luke stopped kissing Noah... rolled above him to gaze at the wonder that lay spread out for him. Noah’s skin was smooth and perfectly contoured, his jeans open at the fly... revealing a tantalizing hint of underwear._

_Luke looked. He devoured every inch of Noah with his eyes. He was so beautiful that Luke... feeling suddenly choked with want... could barely swallow. Suddenly Noah... his love, his sweet... was rolling him over; tugging at Luke's belt... removing Luke's jeans... while blue dilated eyes roamed hungrily over his chest._

_Luke found himself naked; lay still under Noah's intense scrutiny. They had dreamed of this moment for so long... wanted to savor it._

_They kissed again; Noah’s mouth_ _ravenous_ _against his. It was a frenzied, delirious passion... a wild and reckless abandon. After such a long wait... so much repressed sexuality... they were desperate for each other._ _There was a breathless pause as Noah looked Luke in the eye; moved downward... his gentle touch the most exquisite sensation of Luke’s life... happening… happening right in this moment, just as he had wanted for what felt like an eternity._

_Before he knew it Noah's mouth was right_ there _... licking at him... a sucking pull that was out of this world! And God damn, Luke felt like he was about to burst open._ _“Stop,” he begged, his fingers finding Noah’s bobbing head... tugging at his hair. He was on the brink already... tried to hold back by steadying his breathing._

_Noah stood by the side of the bed; right before Luke’s eyes removed the last shred of his clothing... standing there all naked like some Egyptian king; climbing back on top of him... pressing the tightness of their stomachs together. Luke welcomed the full weight of him._

_They had messed around with clothing on before, even fisted each other to completion... but this was the first time Luke had ever really touched, kneaded, clasped the entire expanse of him; marveled at its softness, it’s rich scent of animal lust... felt so completely covered by him. Stroking Noah’s skin with the tips of his fingers, Luke leaned upward, licking a path... delicately tasting the salty sweat of his chest._

_This time it was Noah’s turn to plead, “Stop! Luke, stop!”_ _Noah’s eyes rolled; his eyelids fluttered as he came back to earth. “God, I’m so close. You aren't even touching there and I want_ _let go! Do you know how crazy that is?” He pressed his forehead against Luke’s and whispered, “We need to slow down.” Then he collapsed flat-out to the side of Luke._

_“I don’t know if I can," Luke managed to shudder._

_Noah kissed him again, but this time slower... more leisurely... not quite with the crazy passion of before._

_“Noah,” Luke whispered shyly, “I think you should be the one that…”_

_Noah placed a finger on his lips and nodded._ _“You’re stunning,” he said, pushing Luke to lie back again._

_Luke felt his nerves rising. He'd read how this could be painful, but was amazed by how much he still wanted it. Everything seemed to have slowed down to this moment. Luke found himself gazing up in dumbstruck awe at the incredible and divine man above him... his hair a brown halo... his skin aglow... who wanted him. He could never in a million years have imagined his first time with somebody like this. He felt incredibly lucky._ _They were the most perfect blend of love and passion... it pulsed through them like blood and life. Luke stretched out his body; lifted his legs in complete submission to Noah._

_He watched as Noah made preparations; drawing on a condom... lubricating it... kissing him again saying, “I’ve never done this… like this… so… I don’t want hurt you, okay?”_

_Luke nodded._

_“Let me know if you need me to stop…”_

_“Okay,” it was a breathy whisper from a quivering body. He willed himself to relax._

_Noah’s fingers enter him first, one by one. With each intrusion Luke let out a gasp of surprise. He'd messed about with this on his own before, but it was a completely different sensation when another person did it._ _Noah’s face remained against his; forehead-to-forehead, cheek-to-cheek... breath in ear or mouth-upon-mouth. And then that moment… the moment Luke could never, ever have dreamed possible... Noah started to make love to him for the first time. Gazing all the while deep into his eyes, Noah entered slowly all the way up. And it hurt. It hurt a lot._

_"God!"_

_“You okay?” Noah asked, worried at the cry of pain eliciting from Luke. He wiped a tear from Luke’s eyes._

_“It hurts a little,” he managed to stammer, but as Noah made a move to withdraw he gripped his legs around this thighs. “No! Stay! Stay! Just wait a bit.” His breathing turned solid and quick. Soon the pain started to transform into a pleasure he could never describe in words. “Okay,” he said._

_Noah nuzzled his neck lovingly; withdrew and plunged gently back in... gasping himself... struggling to hold back. But he didn’t need to, because at that instant a rip-tide of ecstasy washed over Luke. He found himself moving naturally beneath Noah. It was an instinct that Noah instantly understood, and pretty soon they were moving together with more vigor._

_It didn’t last long of course. They were both way too sexed up. But it didn't matter, because Luke experienced the most intense feeling of his life build and build, until he could no longer control it... he moaned as the wetness spilled between them, just as he felt Noah spasm within him; heard his beautiful cry of release._

_They looked and they smiled with pleasure... with relief and with gratitude._

_“Incredible,” Luke gasped. “That was just incredible.”_

_As he withdrew, Noah tugged at the comforter on Luke’s bed; wrapped the folds over them so they could just lie there reveling in their love... smiling in the knowledge that they were immune in that moment to anything but the sensation of each other._

_"Give me a few minutes," Luke whispered, "and then we gonna do that again in the shower..."_

***

“I keep thinking about the past,” Luke said quietly, after their bout of love making. He moved closer into the crook of Noah’s arm; hooked their naked legs together. “Do you remember the first time we made love?”

“Like it was yesterday.”

Noah didn’t question him further and Luke was grateful. He took a moment before spilling what he had needed to say... the reason he’d woken Noah up. “Noah, I don’t want to get married on the farm.”

Noah took a deep breath; knowingly asked, “Ameera?”

Luke nodded. “And not only that but... I don’t know... I guess Reid’s ashes are there and… I just want it to be us, you know? I want a place that’s just for us!”

“I like that idea,” Noah whispered back. “Do you have anywhere in mind?”

“No, I was hoping you might.”

“It will come to us, don’t worry.”

Luke smiled at him, rubbing their noses together. “Thanks for understanding…”

“I love you, Luke.”

“I love you too.”

“Now… do you think I could maybe go back to sleep?”

Luke laughed. “Yes, but can I cuddle you?”

“As if you need to ask…”

Noah wriggled back down into the bed. Luke turned off the light before spooning Noah from behind, suddenly feeling like he could sleep well that night.


	2. Chapter 2

There were some mornings when Luke would wake up to find Nicholas standing by the side of the bed; sheet trailing along behind him... a thumb stuck firmly in his mouth. Nicholas would wait patiently for either Luke or Noah to open their eyes and notice him.  
  
“Morning…” Luke smiled, placing a finger on his mouth to indicate silence; gently removed Noah’s hand from his waist, so as not to wake him. He rolled noiselessly out of bed; lifted Nicholas in his arms; drawing the wads of sheet up with him so that he didn’t trip on it. They left the room, making sure to close the door softly behind them. “What do you want for breakfast today, hey buddy?”  
  
“’ancakes,” he said through his thumb.  
  
“Well since it is Saturday, I guess we can have pancakes…”  
  
Nicholas smiled; wriggled excitedly to get out of Luke’s grasp and head... no doubt... for the kitchen.  
  
“Wait a second, what do you say we put some clothes on you first, hey?”  
  
“No!” he giggled, deciding this was a fun game of his own to play with Luke.  
  
“But you can’t go the whole day in your PJs little guy!”  
  
Nicholas shook his head. “No!” He wriggled free shouting, “You can’t catch me!” He took off for the door. He was faster than Luke expected.  
  
“Hey,” Luke called softly, still anxious not to wake Noah.  
  
By the time he got to the door, the little tyrant was already entering the living room. He turned and gave Luke a cheeky... but utterly adorable... grin, before disappearing from view. Luke arrived in an apparently vacant living room, just in time to see a chair wobble a bit; Nicholas hiding under the dinner table.  
  
“Hmm… obviously been learning a thing or two from Ethan...” Luke thought to himself; playfully exclaimed, “Where-oh-where has my little man gone? I wonder if he’s in here?” With dramatic exaggerated movements, he opened the kitchen door to peer inside; then checked behind the curtains and under the rug. “Well! That’s a shame! If only I could get that little guy changed so we can eat some lovely pancakes!” A gurgling giggle erupted from the shadows beneath the table. “I guess I’ll have to eat those pancakes all by myself!" He heard the chair move and another giggle. When Luke spun around he clasped his face with both hands; faked surprised. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere!”  
  
Nicholas laughed again; brought both his fists up to his mouth in a gesture of pure merriment... but as Luke moved forward to lift him, it became clear that he was far from finished playing. He shot off again; Luke made to run after him... skidding round the corner; back down the hall... rammed headfirst into Noah coming the other way.  
  
“Whoa!” Noah exclaimed, spinning around. “Give a guy a break! I just woke up, you know?”  
  
“Luke is chasing me!” Nicholas exclaimed in excitement, gripping the back of Noah’s legs.  
  
“But he can’t catch you, can he?” asked Noah. “You’re way too fast for him, aren’t you?”  
  
“Oh yes!” Nicholas agreed, nodding his head.  
  
“That may be so…” said Noah, “but I can!” He caught the hysterical Nicholas in both his hands, swinging him up in a playful hug... planted hundreds of tiny kisses in the child’s neck. Nicholas squirmed with glee as Noah leaned over to kiss Luke. “Good morning, gorgeous…”  
  
“Hi,” Luke smiled.  
  
“You seem pretty chirpy and energized for a guy who spent half the night playing wedding planner?”  
  
“I’m drunk on love!” Luke replied, really believing it. He bent his head in an exaggerated way to the side; swayed into Noah for another kiss.

The soft smile on Noah’s face as they pulled apart was one of Luke’s favorites... it warmed him through.  
  
“It’s so good to see you happy again…” Noah's blue eyes sparkled.  
  
Luke pushed a curl behind Noah’s ear. “It’s because of you.”  
  
They shared a quiet moment simply standing there in the hallway... soaking it all in... before Noah made the first move. “Come on, buddy,” he said to Nicholas, “let’s get you dressed!”  
  
“Okay, then we’re having pancakes!” Nicholas replied.  
  
“Pancakes, hey? Yum!”  
  
“Yes! With sy-wip!”  
  
Luke watched happily from the doorway as Noah picked out some clothing for him.  
  
***  
  
Noah smiled at Luke as the blonde sauntered into the living room, freshly showered and changed in his regulatory weekend uniform of blue jeans and t-shirt... this time the red one with the two blue stripes around the waist. It reminded Noah of the shirts Luke used to wear in collage. He just wanted to walk on over and kiss him right there and then. And he would have done, if he wasn’t still in the middle of a marathon telephone session with Maddie.  
  
She'd been an absolute rock throughout the entire Natalie ordeal. When Noah was climbing the walls with worry over Luke’s erratic behavior, Natalie’s condition and Nicholas’s everyday needs and care, she would sit on the other end of the phone as he poured his heart out to her. She'd been a valuable sounding board.  
  
She just finished catching him up on her news of Jonathan, Bruce and general life in Montana, including her new job at the local newspaper... where they had already given her the advice column. She sounded happy, and that made Noah glow inside. She deserved it.  
  
“Hey, Maddie,” Noah interrupted her. “Luke just walked in… can you wait a sec while I switch to loudspeaker?”  
  
“Sure,” she replied, confused. Noah had never done that before. “Okay…”  
  
Noah gestured for Luke to come over whispering, “You ready for this?”  
  
Luke grinned at him. “Hit it!”  
  
“Hi Maddie, you there?” Noah tested after placing the phone on the table.

“Yes, I’m still here. Are you there too, Luke?”  
  
“Yeah! Hey!”  
  
“Hey yourself! You sound much better…”  
  
“Yeah… well… you know… I have Noah to help me through these things, right?”  
  
“Right!” she agreed; giggled in that infectious way she had.  
  
“Anyway Mads,” Noah began, “there’s a reason I’ve put you on speaker.”  
  
“And what’s that? You guys going to sing me a rendition of The Star Spangled Banner?”  
  
“Oh my God Maddie,” Luke exclaimed, “you should know better! You’ve heard me sing, remember?”  
  
“Oh yes! Forget it then.”  
  
They all laughed.  
  
“So, what’s up?” she asked.  
  
“Well,” began Noah, looking over at Luke to check whether he should continue. Luke nodded with a smile; gripped Noah around his waist so that they swayed slightly on their feet. “I wanted to ask you a very important question…”  
  
“Okay! Jeez! Will you get on with it! I’m dying over here!”  
  
They laughed at her impatience.  
  
“I was wondering whether you would consider being my bestman?”  
  
There was a moments silence as she no doubt digested the news... played the wording in her head... worked out what Noah was meant by that. The scream of delight that ensued from the phone was so sharp Noah feared the glasses in the cabinet might shatter. They were forced to hold their hands up over their ears.  
  
With everything that happened so shortly after their return from Oakdale, they’d told nobody but the family of their engagement. Ready to return to normal life, they knew Maddie would have to be the first person told, unless they both wanted to die a slow and painful death.  
  
The laughing and screaming and general hilarity continued for some time. They heard her running around the flat telling Jonathan... then Bruce... and then they were sure they heard her open the window before shouting, “Luke and Noah are getting married!”  
  
"Congratulations guys!" they heard Jonathan shout.  
  
“Maddie?” Noah laughed as he tried to get her attention. They kept repeating her name until eventually she came back round to the phone.  
  
“Oh, my God! Oh, my God! You guys? That’s just the best news!” Suddenly she sounded all choked up. It brought tears to both their eyes. “I’m so proud of you! It’s just right, you know? It’s just how things should be! I’m just so happy for you…”  
  
“So is that a ‘yes’ then?” asked Noah.  
  
“Yes! Definitely! I’d be honored to be your bestperson Noah!”  
  
***  
  
That entire morning had turned out to be so intimate… so special... full of love and togetherness... that Luke forgot.  
  
But the moment he opened the door to Gareth, he knew it was bad news. Gareth was an exceptional lawyer. Luke had watched him perform legal miracles time and time again, but even Gareth wasn’t above the law. Eventually even a man like Gareth could reach his limitations. And Luke knew that look on his face.  
  
“I did the best I could,” he sighed from the doorstep.  
  
“Okay,” Luke replied in preparation for what was to come. He could feel his blood turning icy as he sat opposite Gareth on the couch. A quick look at Noah... standing cross-armed by the table... revealed he was feeling the same.  
  
“You’re banned from driving for one year and…” It was obvious he didn’t want to continue.  
  
“And?” asked Noah.  
  
“Now you guys should remember that the minimum sentence for a hit and run is six months.”  
  
“They’ve given me a sentence.” Luke wasn’t surprised. He simply nodded. He had expected it.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“W… what?” Noah staggered back in disbelief. Luke felt for him. Noah was so sure that he would get off with a misdemeanor, but Luke knew a lot of that was wishful thinking on his part.  
  
“How long?” Luke asked.  
  
“Three months.”  
  
Both men froze.  
  
“But…” Noah began, looking suddenly like he might pass out. “But it was an accident! Surely they must know that?”  
  
“They do,” Gareth nodded regretfully.  
  
“Then…” he looked around in desperation. “There must be something, Gareth? Please! There must be something more you can do?” The panic set in on Noah’s face.  
  
Luke remained seated with resignation on the couch.  
  
Gareth was obviously uncomfortable. “Guys… As far as the law’s concerned, anybody under those conditions would experience a rush of adrenaline and fear that might make them want to flee. But the legislation has to be clear here, and under no circumstances can a person be given allowance to leave the scene... especially in cases where injury or death are involved. There has to be a deterrent to that, otherwise the law is opening itself up to some really dangerous territory.”  
  
“Setting a precedent…” Luke said, more to himself.  
  
“Exactly!”  
  
Looking up and seeing the expression on Noah’s face Luke said, “Noah, it’s okay. I expected something like this. I can do this.”  
  
But by this point Noah was furious. “Really? Well good for you, Luke! That’s just great! But while you might be able to, I can’t!”  
  
Luke cocked his sad eyes at him, biting his lower lip.  
  
“What the hell am I supposed to do, hey? Am I supposed to just sit here while you…” his voice cracked. He started to visibly shake. “Three months, Luke! Fuck!” He lifted the closet object, which just happened to be a photo frame; threw it across the room. The glass broke instantly. It was the photo Lily had given him for Christmas; his shoulders sagged even more when he realized what he’d done. Anger dissolving into despair, he knelt down and began to unsteadily pick up the glass shards from the floor... sniffing and rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. “Shit.”  
  
Luke left the couch to join him on the floor, stroking his shoulder; cupping Noah’s hands in own... encouraging him to drop the glass shards and lean into him. “I’m sorry, bubby.”  
  
“It’s not your fault, Luke. I don’t blame you, okay?”  
  
“I know.”  
  
Noah sighed. “Look what I did…” He shook his head.  
  
“Hey, it’s just the glass… It can be replaced.”  
  
They held each other head-to-head for a while. Eventually Noah said, “How are we going to explain this to Nicky?”  
  
Luke shook his head mournfully. “The truth. We tell him the truth. Like we always do…”  
  
“I’m really sorry guys.” For a moment they had forgotten Gareth was in the room.  
  
They stood together.  
  
“You did your best Gareth. I know that…” Luke smiled, approaching him; patting his shoulder fondly.  
  
“I’m just going to clean this up,” Noah said, disappearing into the kitchen to find the dust-buster. Luke knew it was also because he didn’t want Gareth to see him crying.  
  
“So,” Luke continued, “what happens now?”  
  
Gareth set his briefcase on the dining table, opened it and retrieved an official looking A4 sized envelope which he handed to Luke. “Well if you choose to accept the plea bargain, then these are your instructions... where to go, what time, what to take with you.”  
  
The envelope felt oddly hot in Luke’s shaky fingers.  
  
“Which prison?” The word tasted bitter in his mouth. He hadn’t wanted to upset Noah by admitting it, but he knew it would come to this. He broke the law... however unintentionally... and he was prepared to deal with the consequences of that. He was far more fearful of what it meant for Noah and Nicholas than he was for himself. He heard the kitchen tap running... water splashing as Noah washed his face.  
  
“It’s not a prison,” Gareth corrected. “It’s a detention center for petty crime... for inmates who aren’t dangerous or a security risk. It’s really low-level, and you should be fine there. And Noah can visit you once a week.”  
  
“When do I go in?” Luke whispered.  
  
“Two days time.”  
  
“What?” It was Noah, just returning from the kitchen. His eyes were bloodshot.  
  
“Again, I’m really sorry…” Gareth stuttered.  
  
“Stop! Just stop saying that, okay? I know you’re sorry… Everybody’s just so sorry! But we're the ones still stuck with this shit!”  
  
“Noah…” Luke tried to placate.  
  
“No! No!” he shook his head. “This is complete bullshit! They spring this on us and then give us two days to prepare?”  
  
Luke was quickly by his side, removing the vacuum from his hands and pulling him in for a hug. “The sooner I go in, the sooner I come out!”  
  
“I know you need me to be the strong one here,” Noah sobbed, “but I can’t do this! Not this! Anything but this!”  
  
“Noah,” said Gareth, “we’re lucky we even managed to convince the judge to accept a plea bargain! Usually it would be a trial and most likely a six month sentence.”  
  
Noah sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Gareth. I know you’ve done your best! I don’t mean to imply… it’s just it’s Luke! We were apart for so long and now...”  
  
Gareth held up his hand. “I understand how hard it must be for you, but if it’s any consolation, I don’t intend to stop here. I can’t promise anything, but with good behavior I might be able to get Luke released after a month.”  
  
Noah pushed Luke back to approach Gareth hopefully. “How sure are you?”  
  
“Maybe forty percent...”  
  
“But the likelihood is he will have to serve the full sentence, right?”  
  
“Noah, it was difficult enough to reduce it to three months. I don’t want to promise you something I can’t deliver. But just know that I will do the best I can.”  
  
Noah nodded, sucking on his lower lip... struggling to hold back the tears.  
  
Gareth glanced at Luke. "So do I tell them we're accepting?"  
  
Luke nodded.  
  
“Okay. I’ll leave you guys alone. Call me if you need anything.”  
  
“We will. Thanks, Gareth.” Luke showed him out the door; turned to find Noah drooping in the couch... head in hands.  
  
He sat beside him and Noah immediately clasped Luke's head in his hands; drew their faces together. He rubbed his up and down Luke’s cheek; pulled back to press their foreheads together. Luke’s hands rose to grip Noah’s wrists.  
  
“Parted again…” Noah whispered. “God, but fate really does hate us, doesn’t she?”  
  
“No… no, baby, she doesn’t… She brought us together, right?”  
  
They hugged until Nicholas appeared from the bedroom, finished with his latest masterpiece; eager to share it with Luke and Noah. They made room for him on the couch. Luke smoothed his soft curls from his face, leaning in to kiss the top of his head.  
  
Three months. 


	3. Chapter 3

Luke was fast asleep; stretched out flat on his back on the couch. His head rested comfortably in Noah’s lap. He’d lain there earlier to wind down and read his book, while Noah worked his way through a stack of memos and documents from his editing team. It hadn’t taken him long to nod off. He was up most of the night again, although he’d tried to hide his fretfulness from Noah. It was no surprise he was so exhausted.  
  
Nicholas sat cross-legged on the floor, frowning in concentration as he worked on his latest puzzle... a gift from Joshua.  
  
Noah had long since lost interest in reading his papers. He had been watching Luke sleep for half an hour, feeling sick with anxiety. He knew that within the greater scheme of things Luke had come off lightly, that things could have been so much worse.

_Like a six month sentence in some hardcore prison cell..._

But Noah couldn’t help the way he felt. It was his instinct to do something… change things… save Luke. But there was nothing he could do. There was nothing _to_ do but sit back and watch it happen, praying Luke would be okay.  
  
And Noah dreaded to even imagine it. Thirteen long and empty weeks lay before them. Twelve long nights alone in an empty bed trying not to think of Luke locked away in a cell. Over the course of the agonizing year before Luke knocked on his door, living without Luke had become Noah’s worst nightmare… his phobia.  
  
He was so wrapped up in his thoughts it took him a while to notice Luke looking up at him... studying him carefully. The brown eyes smiled softly as Noah stared down into them.

“What are you thinking about?” Luke asked.   
  
“Maybe we should speak to Lucinda? Maybe she knows somebody who can help.”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Why not?”  
  
“Noah, you heard what Gareth said. I don’t want to be the one responsible for setting some kind of legal loophole that allows guilty people to walk free from something like this. I did it Noah!”  
  
“Yes, but…”  
  
“No buts! There can be no buts, Noah! And you know why! I’m going to serve the sentence passed to me... and really, a part of me kind of needs to do it.”  
  
Noah sighed painfully. “You can be so god damn noble sometimes!”  
  
“Hey,” Luke said rubbing his arm, “we’ll get through it.”  
  
There was a slight shake of Noah’s head; his voice was almost a whisper, “I can’t…”  
  
“We’ll get through it!” Luke said again with absolute conviction.  
  
“I feel so stupid! I mean, you’re the one that has to go into that place! You’re the one who’ll have to live it! Why are you so okay with this?”  
  
Luke laughed a little. “Are you kidding? I’m scared shitless! I mean, I don’t know what to expect... what it will be like… but there’s nothing we can do about it. I’ll miss you guys so much. That’s going to be the hardest thing! But it’s three months! It’s really nothing at all! And then afterwards? Afterwards, I’ve got the most amazing day of my life to look forward too.”  
  
Noah leaned down to nuzzle him slightly.  
  
“If anything’s going to get me through,” Luke continued, “it’s knowing that you are waiting to marry me on the other side! That will get me through anything!”  
  
“You know,” Noah said, squeezing his thigh, “if they’d let me come with you I would...”  
  
“I wish you could too…”  
  
“I need you to promise me something, okay?”  
  
“What’s that?”  
  
“Please… please don’t go being all gung-ho about the whole gay thing!”  
  
Luke gave him an ‘as if I would’ kind of look. “Noah, I’m not going to hide who I am.”  
  
“I know it’s in your nature to be all loud and proud, but… I don’t think prison is the best place for it. I’m just asking you not to get people’s backs up because they piss you off or something… just…” he grabbed and clutched Luke’s hand, “just come back to me safely and in one piece, okay?”  
  
“Noah, it’s not prison! It’s a detention center! Gareth said it will be fine.”  
  
“Yes, but just in case! Please, Luke? For me?”  
  
“Okay,” Luke sighed good-naturedly, in the way Noah knew he usually did when he was trying to appease but didn’t really agree.  
  
“Promise?”  
  
“I promise that I won’t advertise the fact that I’m gay, but I’m not going to deny it either.”  
  
“That’s the best I’m going to get, isn’t it?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
Noah couldn’t resist kissing him after he grinned cheekily. “I’m mad about your crazy head you know that?”  
  
“I know! It can’t be helped… I’m just lovable that way.”  
  
***  
  
Tuesday morning arrived before they knew it, and Noah found Nicholas on the floor by the front door trying hard to put his sneakers on by himself. “You need some help, buddy?”  
  
“I can do it…”  
  
Noah doubted it... since he was trying to squeeze his left foot into his right shoe... but he left him to it. It was sweet. Nicholas was trying to stay out of their way... not really fully understanding such an adult issue as a whole, but smart enough to realize that Luke and Noah were pretty upset about it.  
  
Noah let out a long breath to steady himself. He was determined not to fall apart. This was hard enough for Luke without him having to deal with his partner’s emotions as well.  
  
He popped into the kitchen to quickly tidy their dirty breakfast dishes. Once done he paused on his way out the door, watching as Luke emerged from the hall.

He wasn’t taking much with him... just a small sports bag... and he dropped this by the door before kneeling to give Nicholas a hand. “Looks like you’ve got the wrong shoe on that foot. Let me show you.”  
  
As Luke swapped the shoes, Nicholas leaned back on his hands and said, “Luke, when you came back there will be a wedding?”  
  
“Yes baby, there will. What is marriage, do you know?”  
  
“Um…” he bit on the end of his finger for a moment. “You get married and have a baby.”  
  
Luke laughed. “Yeah I guess, but there’s more to it than just having a baby.”  
  
“You live in a house?”  
  
“Yes, that’s part of it too.”  
  
“Are you and Noah getting married?”  
  
“Ah-ha.”  
  
Nicholas frowned as he considered this. “But you already live in a house?”  
  
Noah smiled as he listened to the conversation. God, but that kid was smart!  
  
“Yes we do, but we still want to get married…”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“So that we can promise to love each other forever...”  
  
Again the soft wrinkled brow of consideration. “But you already love Noah. You said.”  
  
“Yes, that’s right I do. But this is like… it’s kidda like a pinky promise.”  
  
The little face brightened with sudden understanding. “Oh! Then it can’t ever be broken!”  
  
“So logical,” Noah thought.  
  
“Yes, it can’t ever be broken. And someday you’ll get married too.” He tied the final of Nicholas’s sneakers; griped his ankles fondly. “Would you like that?”

Nicholas shook his head.  
  
“No? You don’t like the idea of being married forever?”  
  
“But I want to be here forever…” he looked suddenly very worried.  
  
“No baby. one day you’ll want to go off and make a new family of your own.”  
  
“But I can still live with you?”  
  
Luke noticed Noah then. Noah smiled at him before approaching Nicholas and lifting him up. “You can live with us for as long as you like Nicky. We’re your family forever, okay? No matter what happens.”  
  
Nicholas nodded, happy with this conclusion to the very confusing conversation he was having with Luke.  
  
“Ready?” Luke asked, standing and picking up his bag.  
  
“No,” Noah replied sadly. “But I guess we don’t have a choice, do we?”  
  
Luke smiled reassuringly at him; opened the door to exit his home, his family and his life for three whole months.  
  
***  
  
 _ **Draft story by Luke Snyder  
  
Prologue (unedited)  
  
**So, somehow I find myself in a place I would never have thought I’d ever see the inside of. I’m a ward of the state, serving a three month sentence for a hit and run I’m only now slowly starting to forgive myself for. And strangely, except for the separation from my family, I don’t mind being here. It’s oddly cathartic for me, because I wanted to be punished. My partner, my parents, my friends, the police, the lawyers, everybody! Even my sister, the person I ran down! They were all totally sympathetic and understanding. But it didn’t stop me from blaming myself. And I was angry. I was angry at the driver who hit my sister and left her there. I wanted _that _driver to pay! Yet,_ that _driver turned out to be me.  
  
And it isn’t prison! Nowhere close! Sure there are bars on the windows and cell-like rooms, but it’s cheerily painted. They even have framed pictures on the walls. Inmates are pretty much free to do as they please during the day, so long as they follow the rules and strict timetable. It’s how I imagine boarding school to be like.  
  
And so I’ve decided to dedicate my time in here to writing. And what better subject to tackle than my three months inside.  
  
_***  
  
The week dragged. Everything dragged. Seconds felt like minutes... minutes felt like hours... and those hours seemed to stretch out, making one day feel like a year. Not even the busy editing sessions at the studio were working to keep his mind off Luke.  
  
They had spent that one month apart before. The month when Luke returned to Oakdale to tie-off loose ends before moving full-time to Los Angeles. But that was nothing in comparison to this. At least he could speak to Luke on the phone; visit whenever he wanted. This time he was stuck with radio silence for an entire week.  
  
So now he shifted restlessly from foot to foot as they waited for Luke in the visiting area. They were surrounded by other people, but Noah didn’t even see them. His eyes were fixed on the door through which Luke would appear in any minute.  
  
“Where’s he?” Nicholas kept asking impatiently.  
  
The poor child had cried every night for Luke. He was terrified that Luke would never return home. It was almost impossible to explain to him that Luke was coming back. Noah knew that if a week felt long for him, it would feel like a lifetime to a child.  
  
Luke was given conjugal privileges as part of his sentence. In fact California, they discovered, was the only state that allowed such visits for same-sex couples. But Noah and Luke declined for two reasons. One, they couldn’t imagine making love in a prison. There was just something seedy... something so wrong about that... and it never sat right with them at all. And two, they had Nicholas to think about. When Noah visited, Luke definitely wanted to see Nicholas too, and there was no way that Noah could stay overnight. As a result the decision was to suffer through it. As an alternative, Gareth managed to arrange longer visitations on Sundays. That would have to be enough to see them through. As least they hoped it would be.  
  
Of course had the sentence been longer, that would have been a different story.  
  
Finally Noah saw a flash of blonde just peaking above the opaque strip of glass along the wall of the room, and Luke appeared in the doorway. He felt his heart leap.  
  
Nicholas ran to him, “Luuuukkkkee!”  
  
“Hey!” Luke laughed, swinging the child around; kissing his cheek.  
  
“Luke we waited and waited!” Nicholas chastised.  
  
“You did?”  
  
“Yeah, we waited _forever_! Where’ve you been?”  
  
“I’ve been here, baby.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because I made a mistake and hurt Natalie, remember?”  
  
“Yes but it was an ac-di-dent.”  
  
“An accident.”  
  
“Yeah that!”  
  
“I know. I’ll be home real soon, okay?”  
  
“Today?”  
  
“No, not yet.”  
  
At last Luke's hazel eyes... eyes Noah had been deprived of for six whole days... fastened on his. “Hi, bubby,” he smiled.  
  
Noah looked around, desperate to hold him but suddenly acutely aware of the inmates surrounding them; not sure of Luke’s situation in the place. Always able to read his thoughts, Luke placed Nicholas on the bench; gently smoothed his arms around Noah... one arm around his neck, the other around his waist. Noah breathed in the scent of him; pressed his eyes against Luke’s neck... held on tightly.  
  
“I missed you so much, bubby,” Luke breathed.  
  
“Same here.”  
  
“Luke I was in the park!” Nicholas exclaimed, tugging at his shirt for attention.  
  
They broke apart, and Luke quickly wiped the tears out his eyes before Nicholas saw them. “You did hey?” He sat on the bench; lifted Nicholas to his knee. “You want to tell me about it?”  
  
For a while they sat and caught up on the week, until eventually Nicholas began to tire of the conversation. Noah pulled a pad and pencils from his bag so that he could draw for a while.  
  
“So,” Noah smiled, reaching up to briefly stroke Luke’s chin, “you look well enough. Prison blues suit you…”  
  
Luke nodded and laughed. “It’s really fine, Noah. It’s not dangerous at all.”  
  
Noah let out a breath of relief. “That’s good.”  
  
“Well actually… I have something for you.” Luke pulled a folded piece of white paper from his pocket; opened it out so that Noah could see the typed print on it.  
  
Noah took it as Luke offered it to him. “What is it?”  
  
“It’s the start…”  
  
“Of what?”  
  
“My book...”  
  
A grin of pleasure stretched across Noah’s face. “You’re writing?”  
  
“Well, yeah! I thought I might as well! Nothing else to do… It’s probably not any good but…”  
  
Noah smiled, Luke was always his own greatest critic. “I’m sure it’s wonderful, like everything you write! What’s it about?”  
  
“This!” Luke stretched his arms across the room. “Life in detention. This way I’ll have something new written every week for you to read at home, and at the same time you get to hear what it’s like... what I’m doing... who I’m meeting…”  
  
“Wow!”  
  
“You can take a small piece of me home with you each time! You like?”  
  
“I love!” Noah kissed Luke then, savoring the feel of his lips against his. These touches were going to have to last him all week.   
  
“That’s good,” Luke said, "because," and he dipped his hand back into this pocket to pull out another slip of paper, “here’s the start of a chapter…”  
  
Noah laughed. “Thank you!”  
  
***   
  
_**Draft Story by Luke Snyder  
  
Draft Chapter (unedited)  
  
**Most of the men in the detention center are just your average Joe Blog. Men just like me, who at a point in their normal lives made a major judgment in error; ended up incarcerated as a result.  
  
But of all the men I’ve met here, my cellmate really is the everyman. Kevin Howard is that friendly service type guy, who you’d happily leave alone in your house while he carried out his work... the guy you’d sit and chat with while he was on his coffee break... j_ _ust as ordinary as ordinary can get... an all-round nice guy who reminds me of a childhood friend of mine._

_He had already served six months of a five year sentence for robbery, making my sentence seem like child’s play in comparison. He was suspicious of me at first. I have the impression things hadn’t gone very well between him and his previous cellmate... a subject he refuses to expand on... and hence he got saddled with the new guy... namely me.  
  
We got to talking quite quickly though. I can tell that he was once the friendly happy-go-lucky type, but that whatever went wrong in his life has really done a number on him. And of course, we eventually got to the subject of why were both there.  
  
"You accidentally hit your sister with a car?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Shit! That’s hardcore man! Is she okay?"  
  
"Yes, thank God! I can’t imagine what I would have done if I’d actually killed her!"  
  
"But it was an accident, right,? So why are you in here?"  
  
I shrugged. "Something came over me that night. When I realized what I’d done, I blanked it out."  
  
"Blanked it out?"  
  
"It’s hard to explain, but I couldn’t deal with it. It was like I thought I was dreaming, you know? And if I just went back home and fell back to sleep, then that’s all it was... a bad nightmare...   
  
"And that’s what you did?"  
  
"Yeah. It took three grueling weeks of mind-fuckery before I remembered what really happened."  
  
I saw his mind working and then the light dawn. "Oh! So it was a hit and run?"  
  
"I’m afraid so."  
  
"Harsh man!"  
  
We chatted along those lines for a while longer. At the time I thought it odd that I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable talking to him about it. I suppose it was just nice to make a friend in there. Eventually we exhausted that topic and I turned the tables; asked him the same question. "So you? I know it was robbery, right? You don’t seem the type."  
  
His story would rock me to the core.  
  
 **Note to Noah: To be continued next week... (Love you, bubby)  
**_


	4. Chapter 4

“Luke, you can’t do that to me!” was the first thing Noah said to him on their next Sunday visit, once Nicholas had settled down  
  
“Do what?” Luke asked, faking ignorance.  
  
“You can’t leave the story hanging like that! I spent the whole week wondering what the hell,” he withdrew the now crumpled and well-read sheet of paper from his pocket, “and I quote, ‘rocked me to the core’!”  
  
“Well, bubby, I have to do _something_ to keep you coming back to this boring place every week…”  
  
“Luke,” he spoke with a grin from ear-to-ear at the sight of him, “you know very well, that there is _nothing_ in this big old wide world that would keep me from coming to see you! God, I’m going mad without you!” He gripped Luke in a half hug, impeded by Nicholas who sat happily on Luke’s other hip; committed the act he had been dreaming of every night for a week... he planted a firm kiss on Luke's lips.  
  
“Mmm…” Luke hummed and Noah quickly found himself regretting the decision regarding the conjugal visits.  
  
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, you know that?” Noah asked, running his hand down Luke’s free arm.  
  
“You too...” Luke’s eyes positively glowed with the pleasure of seeing them.  
  
“Luke, I made-ded a sandcastle!”  
  
“That’s great Nicky! Was it big?”  
  
“Yes, the biggest! I made doors from shells!”  
  
“And who lives in your castle?”  
  
Nicholas frowned at him. “Nobody, it’s sand silly!”  
  
They laughed.  
  
“I think you need to ask Noah to read you some fairytales!” Luke informed him.

“So,” Noah interrupted expectantly and impatiently, “where is it?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“You _know_ what! Come on, cough it up!” He held out his hand, palm up.  
  
Luke smirked; withdrew the newest section of his story from his pocket; snatched it back teasingly as Noah went for it. Enjoying himself, he eventually handed it to Noah in exchange for a peck on the cheek.  
  
“So are you going to tell me, or do I have to wait until I’m home to read this first?” Noah hesitated when he saw a definite flash of sadness cross Luke’s eyes. He frowned. “What is it?”  
  
But the smile was back. “I’m okay. It’s just been on my mind, that’s all. Read it and we can talk next week.”  
  
***  
  
 _ **Draft Story by Luke Snyder  
  
Draft Chapter Continued (unedited)  
**  
It had been another long day at the job center for Kevin. Compared to most, it had been fairly successful. He’d managed to get three interviews lined up. But of course that didn’t guarantee anything, especially with the current competition for jobs in the market place. The fresh pile of red envelopes that spilled from the mailbox as he opened it, just served to reconfirm the predicament he and Sam were in. His stomach tied into further knots at the sight of them.  
  
He had originally started his working life as a lifeguard on Venice beach. That was where he met the red haired and freckled Samantha. He treated her after she received a nasty jelly fish sting; discovered she worked at a nearby all night diner. It was love at first sight. She was amazing! Bright and bubbly! To her the world was filled only with delights, and she savored every one of them!  
  
After they were married a year later, he realized pretty quick that his meager pay package wouldn’t get them very far. Other than sports, there was only one thing he was ever good at during his school years, and that was carpentry. So he went back to school at nights, learning to study the trade. Eventually he became fully qualified and self employed. He worked mainly on private homes, obtaining jobs through word of mouth. He was a hard worker and produced excellent results. People liked him, and in time he had a steady stream of jobs lined up._

 _  
Times had been good to them. Soon he and Samantha saved enough to put down a deposit on their little Los Angeles apartment. It wasn’t much, but it was theirs; their dream start-up home, paid for by their own sweat. Granted it was still a little over what they could afford, but the mortgage adviser assured them they would be fine. His salary paid for the flat; her waitressing paid for bills and food. He neglected to mention they’d have nothing left for savings...  
  
"The good days are only set to get better!" the man behind the bank desk brightly told them.  
  
They were young and naïve and they believed him. And for a while, it was totally worth it! Even if it meant they had to forego their occasional nights out.  
  
And then Mia was born.  
  
Mia was Daddy’s girl from the moment she opened her bright blue eyes to frown curiously up at him. She stole his heart and his breath, and he spent every spare moment he had bonding with her. She was a pure gift from heaven.  
  
"There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Mia," he told me, a faraway look in his eyes. It was at that point that I saw the deep pain in them. This man was carrying a major heartache. I could tell, having been there myself once or twice.  
  
Mia was two when things started to turn. Banks were failing and so were businesses. The more people that got laid off, the more of his jobs that got cancelled. Nobody needed a carpenter in a recession.  
  
Eventually he had to admit he wasn’t bringing in enough to cover their living expenses. After a month on baked beans, he joined the job queue, hoping there was still at least one construction firm out there hiring.  
  
But another month went by, and still nothing! He even tried to get his old lifesaving job back, but he was out of shape, and anyway they weren’t hiring.  
  
Then they were struck another devastating blow.  
  
Samantha was asked to leave the restaurant. They could no longer afford their night shift staff. People didn’t eat out in a recession. She tried to find other work, but doors were quickly slamming shut as purses tightened.  
  
Pretty soon things were spiraling outside of his control. With no savings to see them through the hardship, the debt collectors were quick to come calling. They tried to ignore them, but large and scary looking men banged on their door day and night. Sometimes they would managed to get in; each time they would walk off with another piece of carefully and lovingly chosen furniture or some electronic. It was devastating and took an obvious toll on their relationship.  
  
"We started to fight all the time! She started to drink too! We didn't have money for booze, so I can only imagine she was sweet-talking men in bars to buy them for her. I had never seen her like that, you know? She was so unhappy... really depressed. Worse than that, I felt nervous leaving her alone with Mia. She was just so unpredictable, but I didn’t have any choice."  
  
"I’m sorry," I told him. I felt terrible for him.  
  
_***  
  
The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and it was as if in mockery.  
  
Noah stood at the foot of their freshly made bed, staring at the side where Luke would usually sleep. He tried to imagine Luke there; his hair spilling around his head like a golden halo. A deep throbbing ache in his chest had been there since he woke that morning. He tried to ignore it by frantically spring cleaning the entire apartment.  
  
He’d stayed home from work. He just couldn't face another day of smiling and conversing with colleagues... pretending everything was okay... whilst his insides felt like shattered glass. Those smiles were soul destroying, because they were lies. He wasn’t okay! And he realized now, he really wasn’t coping. In fact, he was on the verge of totally losing it.  
  
He sat on the floor by the foot of the bed; scrunched his knees up. He had the pages of Luke’s latest installment in his hand. He hadn’t finished reading it. Nicholas and work and general exhaustion had gotten in the way. But maybe those were just excuses.  
  
The week before, Luke’s story really helped. It had focused Noah’s mind on this other man’s life, rather than on their reality. But this week it just hurt. It hurt to read lines Luke had written, in that spider style so undeniably him. It just intensified that gut-wrenching loss he felt. Lately the smallest thing could spark off the ache of absence, and tears would just spring to his eyes uncontrollably, like right in that second.  
  
The empty days were getting harder as well as longer. He wished he could simply sleep the week away until Sunday. Sunday was the only day that mattered. He thanked God for Nicholas. Despite everything, the boy could still make him smile and even laugh at times. The child kept him getting up in the morning. He loved that kid!  
  
Jasmine had been watching Nicholas during the days while Noah was at work. She offered to help them when she learned of their predicament, and it was a huge relief to them, knowing he was with somebody he knew and was comfortable with. But Noah have kept him home on this day, and the child appeared now in the doorway, swaying with his arms behind his back.  
  
Noah didn’t even bother trying to hide his pain from Nicholas. He couldn’t even though he wanted to. The emotions had found a way to leak through.  
  
Nicholas entered the room, slipped down the side of the bed to sit beside him. Noah placed his arms around his shoulders naturally, without even being fully aware he was doing it.  
  
“You miss Luke, Noah?” he asked, looking back up at him with sad blue eyes.  
  
Noah nodded... trying to smile... unable to trust his voice.  
  
“Luke will be home soon,” Nicholas said, softly petting Noah’s knee as he paraphrased what Noah told him a few times over the weeks.  
  
“I know, baby,” Noah kissed the top of his head. The two of them sat in silence for a while, before taking a walk down to the beach.  
  
***   
  
_**Draft Story by Luke Snyder  
  
Draft Chapter Continued (unedited) **  
  
A few years ago I was given an inheritance that allowed me to set up my foundation. The Luke Snyder Foundation focuses mainly on underprivileged or sick children, as well as on gay rights issues that are close to my heart. I’ve heard plenty of unemployment stories before, but never one like this... and straight from the sufferer’s mouth too. As one of the lucky few people in the world who has never had to worry about money, it’s a real eye-opener for me to hear a real life account told from the mouth of a real person like Kevin.  
  
So, Kevin returned home earlier than usual that night; opened the mailbox to the depressing sight of unpaid bills... made his way inside. He had only just placed the mail and his keys on the side table, when he heard the bang. He’d never heard gunfire before, but he’d watched enough movies to know what it was. It come from upstairs.  
  
"I screamed their names, you know? Sam? Mia?" he told me. "My first thoughts were that we had an intruder in the apartment!" Once he reached the landing he frantically checked the nursery, their bedroom and then flung open the bathroom door. "I can’t..." he choked. It was obviously difficult for him to tell me this. "I can’t tell you what it was like. The horror of it!"  
  
His wife’s blood and brain matter had splattered across the white bathroom tiles; onto the opposite wall. She lay face down with a hole in her head, crumpled on the floor in a pool of blood. The gun lay in one limp hand. Her summer dress was soaking wet and clung to her skin.  
  
But worse than anything was Mia, floating face up in the bath...  
  
 **Note to Noah: It was terrible! You should have seen him after he told me this! I feel so bad. It’s reminded me how lucky we really are! See you next week. (Love you, bubby...)  
**  
_ ***   
  
“Shit,” Noah said to himself as he lay across the couch, only just starting to understand the sadness he saw in Luke’s eyes, “poor guy. You’re right, Luke,” he said to the empty room, “we really are lucky...” He sat up and yawned into his hands. It was late. He’d picked up the story after watching Bette Davis in The Letter... trying to relax and take his mind off things. Now he wondered if he’d be able to sleep at all. His mind was caught up in the horror of this stranger’s life. He wouldn’t even allow his thoughts to go there… to imagine himself in that position... finding Luke and Nicholas… No! That would definitely be the end of him!  
  
He couldn’t help but wonder what the guy had done to end up in detention.  
  
“Well, I guess that will be in next week's installment,” he muttered, standing up and stretching; making his way down the hallway to bed.  
  
He hadn’t lain there long before he saw the bedroom door open; felt the mattress move as Nicholas crawled into bed with him. The boy didn’t disturb Noah; just rolled into his regulatory ball and closed his eyes. Noah leaned forward to kiss his cheek; lay on his back with one hand behind his head... the other smoothing Nicholas’s curls gently around his finger. He stared fixedly at the ceiling, willing an elusive sandman to come and take him away.  
  
***   
  
Unbeknownst to Noah, in a single bunk bed across town Luke was doing the exact same thing. Except instead of Nicholas’s hair, his fingers toyed with the T-shirt of Noah’s he’d taken with him. Noah had worn it the day before Luke’s incarceration. It still held his scent, and he kept it up to his face; breathed in deeply before focusing on a spot of dirt on the ceiling.   
  
It was silent in the center, except for the occasional echoing cough from an inmate or footsteps from the guards outside. Kevin was making soft snoring sounds in the bunk above him. Luke wondered how the guy had gotten over his loss enough to enable him to sleep without nightmares from the past. He held a huge level of respect for the man.  
  
He thought about Noah, trying to formulate a clear picture of his face in his head; started with the broad forehead crisscrossed with black fringe... moved onto the eyes... amazing crystal blue eyes that never failed to melt his heart. Then… and he smiled to himself… then onto his noble nose and beautiful oh-so-kissable lips.  
  
He sighed deeply, feeling tired and listless. He wondered if their connection was strong enough for him to send Noah a message telepathically. He closed his eyes; dipped a hand inside his shorts; focused in on the image of Noah’s face in his head. A shiver... delicious and warm... comforting... washed over him. He mentally sent the message out into the universe.  
  
***   
  
Unbeknownst to Luke, in their home across town, Noah’s body shivered in response. 


	5. Chapter 5

_It was a glorious day…  
  
Or maybe the weather had been glorious that entire week, but it was only now that his mind was clear enough to notice it. In fact Noah couldn’t remember the last time he’d stood back to look at a day and really enjoyed it. He was sure that whenever that day was, Luke had been there. _  
  
_It was as though they'd both been asleep to the rest of the world over the past months, waiting for this moment when they’d wake each other up again._  
  
 _They sat side-by-side on his couch, watching Winslow in The Lighthouse experience his first spooky vision, but not really paying attention to the movie. They were both too wrapped up in their own thoughts... too nervous with a mix of fear and hope. They should have been outside enjoying the day, but they were scared to pop the fragile bubble they’d built up around themselves over the course of the night. They were afraid to let the rest of the world in._  
  
 _Noah toyed with a rubber band he’d picked up earlier. Luke shifted his hands on his lap. Every so often Noah would raise his head; catch Luke smiling softly... but also with so much uncertainty. He returned each smile, just as apprehensively._ _After waking up together on the floor of his apartment, they’d spent the night nervously shifting around each other. They were unsure of where to go next. They didn’t know what to say. It was awkward, like it had been in the first few days of their relationship... trying to find their feet._  
  
 _Noah spent a year in fear; terrified he'd lost Luke forever... wondering how he would go on with the hole in his heart. But this was a different kind of fear. They both wanted to start again... that was clear... but were terrified of making a mistake... of saying or doing the wrong thing._  
  
 _The movie ended and Noah got up quickly; headed for the kitchen. It was in avoidance... so they didn’t have to talk and bring up all the issues between them... issues that had broken them up in the first place._

 _Before he could leave the room Luke called, “Noah?”_  
  
 _He didn’t turn to face Luke at first. His back rose and fell as he took a few steady breaths, readying himself for Luke’s words... whatever they might be._ _When he turned to face him, the worry in Luke’s eyes broke his heart. He resolved to do whatever it took to strengthen the shattered trust between them. He would never hurt Luke again!_  
  
 _The man he adored... the man he loved so much... stood to approach him... and all Noah could do was to shift uncertainly. His heart pounded in excited but anxious expectation. Luke stood as close as he dared; their bodies seemed to sway together... as though magnetized to do so... mouths suddenly inches apart... torsos moments from touching._  
  
 _“I’m sorry,” Luke whispered._  
  
 _“I’m sorry, too.” Noah gazed into this eyes, trying hard to convey with gesture what he was unable to say in words; all the trapped emotion spilling out of him._  
  
 _Luke cupped the back of Noah’s neck; drew his head forward... his eyes blazed with a certain tenderness. When their lips met, Noah was sure he felt their feet levitated off the floor._ _Their kiss the day before had been hard, brutal and pained beyond belief. And they shared a few soft and short pecks that morning when they woke up…_  
  
 _But this!_  
  
 _This was their first kiss. This kiss was one of unity. It was a kiss of greeting, of sorrow over parting, of love, of hope, and most of all of forgiveness. It was a promise; the beginning of the new them. They both felt it... that desire pulsing through them; the resolve each of them had, that this time they would succeed._  
  
 _And Noah felt even surer of this, when Luke’s arms enveloped him, wrapped around him... fitted to him... and Luke whispered, "Oh, Noah..." in his ear._  
  
***  
  
Noah found himself reviewing their past a lot since Luke’s departure. The separation brought back so many memories and feelings, both good and bad.  
  
“You okay?” Luke asked him at their next meeting, obviously seeing right through his façade.  
  
“Sure.” Noah was determined to present a strong front to Luke during their visits. He didn’t want Luke to know how badly he was handling the whole forced separation thing.  
  
But Nicholas brought that façade crumbling down when he innocently said, “Noah was crying.” The boy nodded conspiratorially at Luke.

They sat in a row along a bench outside in the center’s exercise yard; with Luke between them.  
  
Noah averted his eyes.  
  
“You know,” commented Luke, “when I ask you how you are, I’m kinda relying on you not to lie to me…”  
  
“I’m not!”  
  
Luke frowned at him.  
  
“No Luke... really, I’m fine! He just caught me at a bad moment that’s all. I’m allowed to have those from time to time, right? Cause if not, then you’re expecting a lot more of me than I can give, okay?”  
  
Luke cocked worried eyes at him.  
  
“Please don’t worry,” Noah shook his head, annoyed that he’d upset Luke.  
  
“You sure?” Luke asked, pushing at his hair as the wind blew a few blonde locks across his eyes.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
By this point Nicholas was kicking a ball about the yard.  
  
“Cause if not then we should talk about it…”  
  
“Why? So that we go around in circles and still come out at the same conclusion?” His voice was shaky; laced with a thin layer of anger. Regret clouded him when he saw Luke’s reaction. He quickly back-peddled, taking Luke's hand. “I’m sorry. I just hate this.”  
  
Over the course of their exchange, Luke’s eyes slowly became glassy. “Well, since we’re being honest, I’m not doing much better.” Noah’s eyes met his then. “I’ve tried to be brave about all this, but I _really_ want to go home! I _really_ miss you...”  
  
“We _really_ want you home.” Noah stroked the side of Luke’s hand with his thumb. 

“And I feel so guilty about that!”  
  
“Guilty?” Noah asked. “Why?”  
  
“Because being in here, I realize just how lenient that judge was. There are guys in here who only get to see family once a month... if they’re lucky!”  
  
“Shit,” Noah exclaimed, barely able to imagine seeing Luke so seldom, “that’s tough!”  
  
They sat in heartbroken silence while they contemplated this; watched Nicholas as he played.   
  
"Despite everything," Noah suddenly said, "I am proud of you, you know? For the way you handled all this."  
  
“I just wish there was more I could do to help make it easier for you, babe.”  
  
Noah smiled. “Your story helps. You got any more for me?”  
  
“Yeah.” He handed the latest folded update to Noah.  
  
“It’s really awful,” Noah said then, “what happened to Kevin?”  
  
“I know! Can you imagine it?”  
  
“No! That’s one thing I don’t ever what to imagine, thank you! It’s bad enough thinking of you locked away in here!”  
  
Luke stroked his face; stared seriously into his eyes. “Listen, there’s something I need you to do for me…”  
  
“Anything… what is it?”  
  
“Read that first. I’ve written some instructions at the end.”  
  
***  
  
 _ **Draft Story by Luke Snyder  
  
** **Draft Chapter Continued (unedited)**  
  
I can only imagine the thoughts that went through his head; the things he must have screamed. The pain and shock and fear he must have experienced in those seconds, doesn't bare thinking about. But his trained instinct immediately took over. He pushed his sorrow for Samantha aside... he knew there was nothing he could do for her... and he dived for his daughter. He lifted her desperately from the cold bath water; immediately started CPR.  
  
"When I took her out and I felt a pulse?" he shook his head. "The relief! But I swear that for a moment during that CPR, I thought I’d lost her. I stopped for a second and then she coughed... it all came up... and I held her to me as she cried. I can still hear those cries sometimes." He wiped tears from his eyes. "And I often think... God... I just happened to be home early that day... any later and she’d be gone too. And then I also think... a few minutes earlier... even if I hadn’t stopped to collect the mail... I could have saved Sam too! Just so many ‘what ifs’, you know?"  
  
"Yes," I replied. I knew all about those kinds of ‘what ifs’.  
  
I feel honored and privileged that he told me such a personal and tragic story, but shockingly that wasn’t the end of it.  
  
"I was a mess. I missed Sam so damn much, I can’t tell you! Even though those last few months were difficult with her, I never stopped loving her. I still love her. She wasn’t in her right mind, you know? She didn’t mean it."  
  
"I know. If anybody can understand losing your mind it’s me."_

_Kevin nodded, seeing my point.  
  
The death of his wife hit him hard. He blamed himself for not being able to provide properly for his family. He hated himself. And then added to that was the pressure of single fatherhood. He was unemployed... already knee-deep in debt... and he had to take out a loan to pay for the funeral. Pretty soon the bank was threatening to repossess the apartment. He had images of them living homeless on the streets. But then from out of the blue, he was thrown a temporary lifeline...  
  
"One of my old customers... a rich guy from the Hills... asked me to complete some floor and window work for him. When I asked for payment up-front he agreed. That meant I was able to keep hold of our home for another month."  
  
"Where was Mia while you were working?" I asked, curiously.  
  
"With my mom. She’s our only relative. I never knew my dad and Sam was an orphan. A free spirit! She spent her life moving from foster home to foster home. She never settled anywhere until she met me."  
  
It was while he was working on this house that he knocked over a wooden box on the mantle... inside was a slip of paper with a code number on it. He didn’t think anything of it at the time, but Kevin had stumbled on the hidden combination to his customer’s main security safe. Then one day, while working on the window from the outside, he spotted the man opening the safe; saw a large wad of cash inside. He was an honest man. The idea of taking the money didn’t come to him right way. It was only a week or two later, after another terrible night with a hungry and miserable Mia... yet more bills in his mailbox... that poor Kevin grew desperate enough to do it.  
  
"And you got caught." It wasn’t a question. It was obvious after all.  
  
"It only took the cops two days to piece it all together. By then I had fled the state with Mia, but they still tracked me down. Let’s face it, I’m no career criminal! I’ve never even had a speeding fine! Besides, I regretted it pretty quickly once we were on the road. I just did it, you know? I never really thought it through. And I realized it was no life for a small child..."  
  
"And your daughter," I asked, "she’s with your mother now?"  
  
"Yes she is, but..."  
  
"But?"  
  
"Since I've been here, she was sending me regular reports on Mia, so I knew how she was doing. I didn’t want her to see me in here."_

_"I understand," I nodded. My partner and I had discussed the very same issue in regards to our son, Nicholas... in the end deciding that the truth was best. But it was a different and personal thing for every inmate with kids.  
  
"But I haven’t heard a word from her for over a month, and I’m just about going insane!"  
  
"A month?" I asked, feeling my stomach clench for him. That was a long time with no news on the wellbeing of your child.  
  
"I’ve tried to find her. I have no idea where she is."  
  
"Have you asked your lawyer to try?"  
  
"Yes. He checked out Mom’s apartment, but it’s abandoned. It’s like she just took off or something. I don’t really want to involve anybody officially. I’m afraid they’ll put her into care. Sam... she wouldn’t have wanted that... not after her upbringing. And my mom, she’s not well. She had me late in life, so she’s elderly. If Mia goes into care she’ll vanish! I’ve heard stories, you know?"  
  
I nodded. I did know.  
  
"I’ve got friends out there trying to find her, but so far nothing!"  
  
"Maybe I can help?" I offered.  
  
He looked at me skeptically. "Luke, thank you and everything, but I hate to break it to you, you’re kind of in the same predicament as me?"  
  
I smiled. "Yes I am! But Noah’s not!"  
  
"Who’s Noah?"  
  
"Well, to me he’s the most fabulous person alive, but to you he’s a complete stranger who can get to my foundation. Maybe they can locate your daughter for you!"  
  
"Really?" He looked at me so hopefully. "He’d do that?"  
  
"If I asked him too, yes. I’m sure he would. Besides, he’s a sucker for a happy ending..."  
  
"That’s amazing! If he would, I mean..."  
  
_ **Note to Noah: I know that after reading this you won’t mind that I offered your help... Detail’s of his mother... her address etc... are below. Please ask the foundation to track her down... (Love you, bubby...)** _ **  
  
**_***  
  
Noah yawned wide. His eyes felt heavy as they waited together for Luke. He was totally wiped out, but there was no way he’d let that interfere with this precious visit with Luke.  
  
 _Four weeks._

One long month that had felt like a year and still another two to go. Gareth was trying to pin a time with a judge who would be willing to review Luke’s case, but they had yet to hear any good news from him.  
  
“Come on, Luke!” Nicholas sighed loudly, kicking his feet back-and-forth under the chair he was seated on.  
  
Noah stood by the table; smiled tiredly at him. The boy had been amazing over the past crazy week, despite all that had happened. It had certainly been a strange, eventful and challenging few days since their last visit with Luke. He guessed they would have a lot to talk about.  
  
Noah felt himself getting nervous all of a sudden. He wasn’t sure what Luke’s reaction would be. There hadn’t been much of a choice, and it was a decision Noah had to make on the fly. It was the right decision... he knew that in his heart... but it was a pretty major thing to throw at Luke out of the blue like this. He just hoped Luke would understand. “Nicky, remember what we said, okay? You can't say anything to Luke until I talk to him.”  
  
“Yes,” he moaned, disappointed that he couldn’t be the one to share the news, “okay…”  
  
As Luke arrived, his face shining with the joy he always held on seeing them, Nicholas ran for him. Luke kissed him a few times, chatting away merrily with him. Any worries Noah was harboring evaporated instantly. Luke would be okay with it. Of course he would!  
  
“Morning, sweet,” Luke smiled at him, leaning over to kiss him hello. It was then that Luke noticed the second child standing to Noah’s right; holding tightly onto Noah's hand. Luke frowned confused. “And who’s this?”  
  
Noah bent over to lift her up. She hid her petite face in his neck. He gently pushed her long straight auburn hair from her face and behind her pixie-like ear, so that Luke could see her properly. “Luke, this is Mia. Mia, this is Luke.”  
  
Luke’s coffee eyes instantly shot back up to lock with Noah's. After reading his thoughts, those same eyes filled with a stark mixture of wonderment and tears.   
  



	6. Chapter 6

“You really are a very special and amazing man!” Luke exclaimed. He placed his arm around Noah’s waist as they sat outside on the bench; rested his head on Noah’s shoulder.

They watched as Nicholas and Mia chased each other around the yard, squealing with laughter.  
  
“You should see how cute Nicky is with her,” Noah said, pressing Luke’s knee. “He really has taken her under his wing. I think he understands she’s like a kindred spirit, or something.”  
  
“How?” Luke asked. “I still can’t believe I’m sitting here looking at Kevin’s Mia! Where did you find her?”  
  
***  
  
 _Noah and Nicholas were on a plane to Oakdale by Monday afternoon. Luke was right. If Noah was to have any hope of finding Mia, he’d need the full resources of the foundation at his disposal._ _His plan was to leave Nicholas at the farm with Emma for the day; head to the foundation offices. But before doing so they stopped by Al’s for a bite to eat... if only for the sake of nostalgia._  
  
 _They were just on their way to find a free booth, when Noah heard somebody call his name._ _“Noah, is that you?”_  
  
 _He turned; surprised to find both Casey and Alison sitting at a table behind him._  
  
 _“Oh my God, you guys,” Noah exclaimed, “I can’t believe it!”_  
  
 _Alison beamed at him. “Long time, no see! What are you doing in Oakdale? I thought you were still in LA?”_  
  
 _“Look who’s talking! You two were in France the last time I heard!”_  
  
 _“Yeah,” Casey began, “France and Italy and Germany and Sweden…”_  
  
 _Alison laughed. “Even Australia!”_  
  
 _“Wow,” Noah exclaimed, "you're really getting around!"_  
  
 _“You look really good, Noah!” Alison said then._  
  
 _“You too," Noah replied._

 _Alison had cut her hair really short and it suited her small-featured face, while Casey on the other hand was sporting a hairstyle which would rival any of Luke’s many choices; blonde tresses reached almost shoulder length. He reminded Noah of the surfers on LA’s beaches._  
  
 _And then Casey noticed Nicholas peering at him from behind Noah’s legs. “Hello? Who are you?”_  
  
 _“Oh," Noah exclaimed, “this is Nicky, my son…”_  
  
 _As he said it Alison spat out a mouth full of diet coke. “What?”_  
  
 _Both of them peered at Nicholas with interest._  
  
 _“Whoa bro!” Casey expressed. “Back up a bit!_ You _have a kid? I mean, when? Where’s he been all this time?"_  
  
 _Noah laughed, he was starting to enjoy getting this kind of reaction from people._ _“He’s not my biological son! He’s actually my cousin.”_  
  
 _“Geez, Noah,” Casey exclaimed, “he looks just like ya!”_  
  
 _“Yeah, weird, hey? Strong genes, I guess.”_  
  
 _“Looks like we have a lot to catch up on! Wanna join us for lunch?” Casey asked._  
  
 _“Yeah, great, we’d love to!” Noah lifted Nicholas up into the booth beside Alison; took a seat opposite him beside Casey. "Actually I’m_ really _glad I bumped into you because I’ve been trying to get in touch with you both for weeks!”_  
  
 _“Really?” Casey asked. “Everything okay?”_  
  
 _“Oh, yes. Just... I needed your latest address…”_  
  
 _“What for?” Alison asked before biting on a fry._  
  
 _“So that I can invite you both to the wedding…”_  
  
 _Both of their mouths fell open in shock._  
  
 _“Oh, my God, Noah! You’re getting married?” Alison beamed. “That’s amazing! You met somebody? I have to say, I never thought you’d get over Luke!”_  
  
 _“Oh, no, I didn’t?”_  
  
 _“Didn’t what?” Alison asked._  
  
 _“I didn’t get over Luke. I didn’t have too.”_  
  
 _Casey jolted. “Wait! You mean…?”_  
  
 _Noah shrugged with a sideways grin. “Aha!”_  
  
 _Alison squealed with delight; leaned over the table to grab Noah’s head and kiss him once on each cheek._

 _Casey grinned at him; patted him on the shoulder._ _“Wow! It never ceases to amaze me how you two always manage to find a way back to each other!”_  
  
 _“Yeah, I'm really lucky!”_  
  
 _“Congrats man! I’m happy for you!”_  
  
 _“We both are!” agreed Alison._  
  
 _“So where is that joker?” Casey asked._  
  
 _“Luke is in the jail,” Nicholas suddenly stated out of the blue, “he’s coming home real soon!”_  
  
 _Noah was caught off-guard. It usually took Nicholas a lot longer to speak around strangers. Noah supposed the playful vibe that Alison and Casey both exuded must have put him at ease._  
  
 _“Okay! It’s just one shock after another with you today!” Alison said. “Surely not?”_  
  
 _“I’m afraid so…” Noah sighed sadly at them; spent the next hour filling them in on the past few months since Luke’s arrival in Los Angeles._  
  
 _“Man! Sorry, dude. That sucks! So now you’re here looking for some con’s daughter?” Casey asked._  
  
 _“Yep,” Noah answered with a sigh. “Life sure loves throwing us those curveballs. I’m hoping somebody at Luke’s foundation has the answers.”_  
  
 _“Her name’s Mia!” Nicholas informed them. “She doesn’t have a mommy.”_  
  
 _Noah smiled at him. “That’s right, baby, she doesn’t.”_  
  
 _“So she’s like me!”_  
  
 _“In a way she is.”_  
  
 _He had explained the situation as best he could to Nicholas during the flight over, but Nicholas had his own method of working things through._  
  
 _“What are you going to do when you find her?” Alison asked._  
  
 _“I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it."_ _They sat enjoying their lunch together, chatting happily until Noah checked his watch. "_ _I’ve really gotta go! I was so lucky to run into you guys! How long are you visiting Oakdale for?”_  
  
 _“Just another month or two,” Casey explained, “then we’re off to Africa!”_  
  
 _“Africa, hey? If you don’t mind me asking, what are you guys doing for money?”_  
  
 _“Oh that!” Casey waved it away as though it was the last thing that bothered them. “We work where we can. Hospitals are always looking for nurses like Alison and I’m always able to find bar work or whatever!”_  
  
 _“Plus, Casey’s writing a book!” Alison informed him proudly._  
  
 _“Really?” Noah asked with genuine interest._  
  
 _“Yeah, sort of!” Casey agreed. “It’s about our travels.”_  
  
 _“Sounds great! You’ll have to fill me in some time.” Then throwing cash on the table to pay for their lunch he stood to go. “Okay well, it's been so good to see you guys and I wish we had more time, but you have my number so make sure you send me a working e-mail address… then I can let you know about the wedding!”_  
  
 _“You bet! That's one wedding we definitely want to see!” Alison smiled as Nicholas took Noah’s hand. “See you, Nicky.”_  
  
 _“Bye,” he said shyly and waved as they exited the diner._

 _***_  
  
“Wow,” said Luke. “Casey and Alison? What were the chances?”  
  
“I guess fate was making sure they came to our wedding?”  
  
“Oh, so you’re starting to forgive fate a little, are you?”  
  
“Maybe…” Noah smiled; spent a minute kissing him softly.  
  
“So was the foundation any use?” Luke asked; eager to hear the rest of Noah’s story.  
  
“The foundation and Judy! Actually it was Judy who found her!”  
  
“God bless that woman!” Luke grinned.  
  
Noah hesitated before continuing, and it was enough for Luke to notice.  
  
“What is it?” he asked, his face falling as he felt the vibe off Noah.  
  
“I’m sorry Luke, it’s not all good news...”  
  
***  
  
 _“Noah Mayer? Oh my word! When the receptionist said you were down here, I was sure it was a joke!”_  
  
 _Noah smiled at her. “Hi Judy!”_  
  
 _“It’s great to see you, my boy! And looking so gorgeous too! Where’s that wonderful man of yours?”_  
  
 _“Oh, he’s still in Los Angeles,” Noah replied, not going into detail._  
  
 _The main office of the Luke Snyder Foundation looked exactly as it had the last time he was there. Although he couldn’t remember exactly when that was. He thought perhaps it must have been around the Brian Wheatley days, because shortly after that he began work on his collage movie... and the rest was terrible history._  
  
 _“Well, what can I do for you Noah?” Judy asked kindly._  
  
 _“Luke and I are trying to trace a lost child. I was wondering if I could use the foundation computers to track her?”_  
  
 _“Of course! And I’ll even help you!”_  
  
 _“Really? That would be great! Are you sure I’m not interrupting your work or anything?”_  
  
 _“Lost child, hey?” she asked and he nodded. “Well, seems right along my line of work!”_  
  
 _Noah smiled; followed her toward the elevators._  
  
 _Three hours later and Noah’s eyes were beginning to tire from the strain of staring at the computer screen. They had come across a few stories that could have been Mia, but nothing concrete. He was running out of time. He’d have to leave soon if they were going to catch their flight home that night._  
  
 _Then Judy exclaimed, “Hello!”_  
  
 _“Did you find something?” Noah asked hopefully._  
  
 _“Actually, I think I might have done! Here... check this out! It’s a police report from a few months ago! An elderly woman died after having a heart attack on a park bench. She had no identification on her.”_  
  
 _“You think it was Mrs. Howard?”_  
  
 _“Could be, the park is only a few blocks from her apartment…”_  
  
 _“Oh, God…” Noah whispered, hoping it wasn’t true. Poor Kevin had surely been through enough!_  
  
 _“Anyway,” Judy continued, “I thought maybe they went out together for a walk, and then this happened and the child wandered off.”_  
  
 _“Yes,” Agreed Noah, “sounds plausible.”_  
  
 _“So I dug around some more and I found another police report from later that same evening, of a small child found abandoned a few blocks from the park.”_  
  
 _“A few blocks!” Noah exclaimed, trying to imagine a three and half year old making her way through the busy streets of Los Angeles unnoticed. “Jesus!”_  
  
 _“I know," Judy replied shaking her head. “Crazy, right?”_  
  
 _“That’s got to be her! Where is she now?”_  
  
 _“According to the report she’s in a children’s home,” she handed him a sheet of paper. “I printed out the address for you.”_  
  
 _“Thank you!”_  
  
 _“Well, let’s hope it’s her anyway! But in the meantime, I’ll keep looking.”_  
  
 _“Thanks, Judy!”_ _Noah had a feeling about the printout in his hand. It seemed to make sense._  
  
 _He quickly headed back to the farm to collect Nicholas and catch their flight home._  
  
 _***_  
  
“Luke?” Noah paused in his story when he saw a tear drop down Luke’s cheek.  
  
Luke leaned forward on the bench with an arm on each knee, hands clasped in front of him. “How am I supposed to tell Kevin his mother’s dead?”  
  
“I know. I’m sorry. But at least you can counter that by letting him know that Mia is okay.”  
  
Luke sniffed. “It’s just... the poor guy’s been through so much! He doesn’t deserve to be in a place like this! Not at all!”  
  
“Well,” shrugged Noah, “neither do you. It’s like you said yourself… they can’t bend the law just for a few isolated cases. The best they can do is let those people involved serve lighter sentences.”  
  
“I guess,” Luke agreed. “So that’s where you found her? The children’s home?”  
  
 _***_  
  
 _“Excuse me?_ _Hello?_ _Um... sorry…”_ _Noah tried in vane to gain the attention of any of the busy staff members buzzing two-and-fro within the Holy Childhood Children’s Home._ _Finally a flustered looking person arrived behind the reception desk, where two phones had been ringing non-stop since Noah’s arrival. "_ _Hello…” Noah began._  
  
 _The woman held up her hand to silence him; quickly scanned her eyes down a long list of names on her desk... pressed the button on a microphone and announced, “Dr Epstein, paging Dr Epstein, please make your way to reception, thank you.”_  
  
 _Noah was jostled out of the way as three nuns ran past him._  
  
 _“Yes?" she asked, suddenly directing her attention to Noah and surprising him in the process._  
  
 _“Oh! Um... I’m looking for a child.”_  
  
 _“Yes, yes… are you adoption or foster?”_  
  
 _“Sorry?”_  
  
 _“Are you picking up an adopted child or are you a foster carer?”_  
  
 _“Neither. I’m just looking for the child of a friend of mine. I believe she might be here.”_  
  
 _The woman sighed deeply. “Okay look, can you just wait through there?”_  
  
 _“There?” Noah asked, pointing to the room he thought she wanted him to go to._  
  
 _“Yes!" she sounded exasperated. "I’ll send somebody over to you!” With that she vanished again._  
  
 _Noah tentatively entered through the doorway; found himself in some kind of waiting area. A few children ran about; played with toys from shelving along the one wall. Noah found a corner and stood there waiting for… he wasn’t sure what he was waiting for…_  
  
 _Despite the effort to brighten the place up with painted cartoon murals etc, the building had a depressive institutional feel to it._  
  
 _After half an hour of waiting, Noah started to lose his patience; was just about to go in search of the receptionist again when a nun approached him. "_ _Excuse me, sir, I’m told you’re looking for a child?” she asked._  
  
 _“Yes sister, thank you. My name is Noah Mayer. The child is a small girl that was brought here a few weeks ago. She was found in the city. Her name is Mia, if that helps.”_  
  
 _“Mia? Yes! Are you family?” she asked hopefully._  
  
 _Noah’s heart leaped. It was her! It was Mia! “No I’m not, but I know where her father is.”_  
  
 _“Oh wonderful! That’s wonderful! Every night that child cries for her daddy! Every night! We were really lost as to what to do with her.”_  
  
 _“Sorry?”_  
  
 _“Well, she couldn’t tell us her last name, and without knowing who she is we can’t foster her. So she’s stuck here in the home. We try, but it’s not the best place to spend your childhood. We would much rather find suitable homes for our children. In fact I don’t think we’ve ever had a child stay with us this long!”_  
  
 _“Um, sister…”_

 _"Sister Charity"  
_  
 _“Sister Charity,”_ _Noah smiled, “do you think I could see Mia?”_  
  
 _She hesitated. “I’m afraid not. If you’re not family or an official of some kind then we can’t allow that, you understand?”_  
  
 _“Yes,” Noah nodded. “What would you need to allow me to see her?”_  
  
 _“First of all it would be helpful if you tell me her story.”_  
  
 _Noah spent time explaining the situation._  
  
 _“Oh, dear,” she sighed shaking her head. “That's not good. So her father is her only relative?”_  
  
 _“I’m afraid so. Look sister, I’m already fostering my cousin, so I’m on the system as a foster father… Do you think that maybe we could arrange to have her signed over to me?”_  
  
 _He knew he was being impulsive, but he really couldn’t think of another solution. He was afraid Mia would disappear into the system if he didn’t act quickly._  
  
 _“That could take months I’m afraid…”_  
  
 _“But why? I mean you said yourself she would be better off in a real home. There must be something we can do…” as he said it something came to him and he quickly whipped out his phone._  
  
 _***_   
  
“Who did you call?” Luke asked, frowning.  
  
“Can’t you guess? Betty of course!”  
  
 _***_  
  
 _It wasn’t until Thursday that Noah was finally able to see Mia, thanks to the astounding effort made by Betty. She used every contact and friend at her disposal to convince the system that the child would definitely be better off under Noah’s guardianship than left in the children’s home or fostered out to strangers. And Luke and Noah knew her father, which meant Mia would still have a connection to him; he could take her back into his care on his release from detention._  
  
 _Sister Charity showed Noah and Nicholas to a room where a tiny girl sat at a child-sized table, playing with a rag doll. Noah indicated to Sister Charity that she was no longer required, and when alone with Mia, approached her carefully. Nicholas sat opposite Mia at the table, shyly watching her with interest._  
  
 _“Mia?” Noah asked softly, squatting down beside her._ _She lifted her freckled nose up at him; examined him through sea green eyes._ _“Hi. My name is Noah and this is Nicky.”_  
  
 _Nicholas gave her his biggest smile. He had been so excited to finally meet the little girl Noah told him some much about._  
  
 _“Is that your doll?” Noah tried._  
  
 _She shook her head._  
  
 _“No?” he asked._  
  
 _“My dolly is at my house.”_  
  
 _“Oh, I see.”_  
  
 _“Can I go home now?”_  
  
 _“No, I’m sorry Mia, you can’t. Not to your old home anyway?”_  
  
 _“But why? I want Daddy!” she stated sadly._  
  
 _“Your daddy can’t be with you right now, okay? But he’s a friend of mine,” she looked up at him expectantly, “and he wants us to take care of you while he’s away.”_  
  
 _“He does?”_  
  
 _“You can live with us!” said Nicholas gleefully. “Luke and Noah look after us.”_  
  
 _“Would you like that Mia? Would you like to come and live in our house while we wait for your daddy to fetch you?”_ _She studied him for a long time. He could see her little mind trying to take it all in._ _“You’ll have your own room, and we’ll get you a new dolly, okay?”_  
  
 _“Just for me?”_

 _Noah realized that in the home she most likely didn't have many of her own possessions._ _“Yes, baby. We’ll get toys just for you.”_  
  
 _“Yes! And I have toys too!” said Nicholas. “You can play with them if you want.”_  
  
 _“And we’ll take you to visit your daddy, okay?”_  
  
 _“Daddy?” her eyes positively shone at that; a huge and beautiful smile crossed her lips._  
  
 _They spent an hour together in that room, laughing and playing games until Noah felt she was relaxed enough. "_ _So Mia, will come home with me and Nicky?”_  
  
 _She nodded brightly; to Noah’s surprise, jumped up and hugged him round his neck._  
  
 _“Okay then guys," Noah said, sniffing back the overwhelming feeling he received from that hug, “let’s go home!”_  
  
***  
  
“So… are you sure you’re okay with this?” Noah asked Luke hesitantly. “I mean, it’s a huge responsibility to take her in and I didn’t really discuss it with you beforehand.”  
  
Luke looked at him in amazement. “Are you kidding? I’m the one that should be asking you that question! I mean, of course I would have wanted this, but to think… that you would do this too… _God_! Every time I think there’s nothing you could do to make me love you more, you go and do something so loving and thoughtful like this!”  
  
"And Kevin? Will he okay with it?"  
  
"He'll be shocked I think! And I'll have to prepare him for the whole gay thing! I'm not sure he knows about that! But I think the main thing for him is that she's not in a home."  
  
Noah smiled at him through tears.  
  
“Thank you, bubby…” Luke sniffed.  
  
"Two kids!" Noah laughed softly, scratching Luke's back. "Last year I was all alone and now look at us!"  
  
Luke looked over at him and smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

Luke checked his watch for the umpteenth time... sighed... fell back onto his bed. He watched the second hand tick around and around the face. Feeling an old stirring, he turned his wrist to unbuckle the strap; smooth his thumb over the cold silver back, feeling the indentation of the words engraved there...  
  
***   
  
_The paper rustled; the bow fell to the ground as he ripped at it... impatient to find out what gift Noah had chosen for him. Once the paper was removed, he was left with a festive looking box. He carefully lifted the lid; brushed the red lining paper aside to reveal a beautiful watch with a dark leather strap._  
  
 _“Wait,” said Noah, observing Luke’s smile; speaking before Luke could even say anything. “I know a watch isn’t the most inventive of gifts, but I just… I just figured it was something we both needed a little of lately… time? It’s engraved. Turn it over…"_  
  
 _Luke read the engraving; couldn’t help but flash Noah a shy smile. “Worth the wait,” his voice faulted a little. “How many times have we said that too each other?”_  
  
 _Noah’s expression of sheer embarrassment made Luke smile even more. He was so cute. The way Noah didn’t even realize how desirable he was, just made Luke want him even more. They shifted slightly closer together on the bench; knees knocking._   
  
_“I thought it fit…” Noah said, nervous that it was too much. “I mean… maybe it’s a little cheesy?”_  
  
 _“Cheesy?” Luke thought, barely able to hold himself back from grabbing Noah in a bear-hug, right then and there. For days he'd wondered whether Noah would ever consider taking him back after what he did at student election time; lying and stuffing ballet boxes in order to steal the election. And yet here Noah was. Luke was sure Noah didn’t really understand the depth of his feelings yet… but Luke would show him… if Noah allowed him to._  
  
Everything has to be slowly, slowly with this guy...  
  
 _“No… No, Noah…” he said instead, trying to convey his sincerity without overwhelming Noah. “This is perfect. I love it. Thank you. Can I put it on now?”_  
  
 _“Sure!”_  
  
 _Luke nervously fumbled one-handed with the strap... trying to buckle it up... only for it to slip open again._ _“_ _Ooh!” he exclaimed._

 _They both laughed as Noah leaned over. “Here... here, let me help you…”_  
  
 _Luke couldn’t help but feel the effect of Noah’s sudden closeness to him; the warm feel of his fingers as they swept across his wrist. They shared one of_ those _moments; a moment when their eyes met... when they both read the same thoughts there. A moment when the air felt charged, and he could physically feel his heart hammering in excitement._  
  
 _He was completely losing himself in the blue of Noah's eyes, when Noah glanced up and said, “Hey look…”_  
  
 _Luke followed his gaze and spotted it too. “Mistletoe…” he sang suggestively, amazed that it was Noah who had pointed it out. Could it be a hint that Noah wanted a kiss just as badly as he did?_  
  
 _When he looked back, Noah was smiling contently._ _“Remember last Christmas, in Emma’s kitchen?” Noah asked as their eyes met in a solid gaze._  
  
 _“Yes,” Luke thought, “he does want it too…”_

 _“Yeah. We were standing under the mistletoe,” he softened his voice to a near whisper, “and that was the first time that I told you I was in love with you…”_  
  
 _Again Noah looked away embarrassed... hard on himself... displaying his regulatory eye squeeze. "And I said same here…”_  
  
 _Luke couldn’t help but laugh at him. He worked hard to maintain that eye contact... felt sure it would lead them to a kiss. “And it was very, very romantic...”_  
  
 _Noah nodded slightly, biting his lower lip anxiously._  
  
 _“And here we are,” Luke continued, “a year later and… it’s still true Noah… I am still so in love with you."_  
  
 _A relieved smile crossed Noah's lips as he spoke with a joking tone, “Same here.”_  
  
 _And that answer was all Luke needed to hear. He laughed slightly as they both leaned toward each other. Their lips met in one of the softest kisses they ever shared. Days of missing Noah meant his lonely heart broke free; took flight as he felt Noah’s fingers tickle at his neck._  
  
***  
  
Luke had woken up early that Sunday feeling particularly moody and twitchy. He found himself with three hours to wait until Noah, Nicholas... and now Mia... arrived for their weekly visit. The first two hours passed with a snail-like slowness that made him want to bang his head against the wall. He tried to write, but his thoughts were all over the place. He was seriously done with the detention center!  
  
Kevin’s reaction to the news that guardianship of Mia had been signed over to Noah without his consent, was mixed. At first he hugged Luke with joy, relieved to at least know what had happened to her. Then suddenly he would switch to being downright angry. But Luke soon realized this was more to do with grief over his mother’s death, than the issue of Mia.  
  
By Tuesday he’d calmed down somewhat; couldn’t hold back from talking to Luke anymore. It was obvious he was desperate to hear Luke’s news on Mia; to know more about Luke’s Noah, who she was now living with. Of course they then hit a whole new level of uncomfortable, when it dawned suddenly on Kevin the exact type of household Mia was now living in. “So Mia will live with you and this other man and your son?” Kevin treaded with caution.  
  
“Yeah. I get how this isn’t what most people consider the norm, but we’re a happy family and there’s loads of love to share. She’ll be fine with us. She’ll have a brother and aunts and uncles and grandparents to spoil her.”  
  
“Look Luke, I don’t want to insult you or anything… I mean I don't have a problem with gays… by now you know that... it’s just… I guess…”  
  
“You never pictured your daughter living with a same-sex couple?”  
  
“Well, yeah... It’s just different.”  
  
“You’re right, it is different. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It doesn’t mean she can’t be just as happy. Look Kevin, I understand your reservations... I really do... but you’ve gotten to know me over the past month and I think we’ve become friends, right?”  
  
“Yes of course! Luke, you’ve been amazing! You’re so easy to talk to and you found Mia like you said you would!”  
  
“And you trust me?”  
  
Kevin thought for a bit. “Yes, I do.”  
  
“Basically what I’m saying is that you have two choices; either you accept our offer to take Mia until you’re released... have the peace of mind that she’s well taken care of... or we hand her back to the state and she ends up God knows where!”  
  
Kevin observed Luke thoughtfully. His eyes were pained, and Luke would understand his sorrow.  
  
“Look, Noah’s bringing her to see you on Thursday. At least meet with him before you decide.”  
  
Kevin agreed, and Noah visited with Mia as planned. Luke wasn’t allowed at that meeting, but Kevin positively beamed on his return to the cell later that day. It was clear Kevin had came to terms with things; even held nothing but praise for Noah. Not that Luke was surprised. "She's obviously crazy about him," he told Luke.

"Yeah," Luke smiled, "he has that affect on people."  
  
Now as Luke lay on his bed waiting for his family’s arrival... wishing the time away... he mused on the subject of his life in general. He lazily twirled the wristwatch in his hand, reading and re-reading the inscription on the back. The words at that moment held a whole new level of irony.

“Worth the wait”.  
  
***  
  
 _“Oh, so this is why?” He had that self-satisfied tone he usually used when he’d made some major discovery and thought himself rather clever for it._  
  
 _“What?” Luke wasn’t paying much attention as he busily searched his closet for a jacket smart and clean enough to attend the hospital benefit in. Reid... being Reid... had sprung the invite on him with only an hour to spare, and now Luke was frantically trying to dress himself appropriately._  
  
 _“We’re still waiting because you’re still waiting?”_  
  
 _“Huh?” Luke spun around... still wearing nothing but a towel... to find Reid dangling his wristwatch by the leather strap. Luke had taken it off; left it on the dresser while he took a quick shower._  
  
 _Reid cocked an eyebrow at him._  
  
 _Luke sighed. “Reid, come on! It was a gift!”_  
  
 _“Ah… now depends entirely on how you look at it. A wristwatch is a gift, but a wristwatch inscribed with sweet nothings implying forever…_ that _is more than a gift... and it’s more than a gift that you’re still wearing, so am I really that insane to ask?”_  
  
 _“Okay, well if it bothers you that much I won’t wear it anymore then! It’s not like I need to keep time when you make me late for every function anyway!”_  
  
 _“It doesn’t bother me at all.”_  
  
 _Luke scowled at him. “Then why did you bring it up?”_  
  
 _Reid sauntered over... reached out to pull Luke's arm up... proceeded to fasten the watch to his wrist. He patted Luke's shoulder twice. “Just saying…” He gave Luke one of his all-knowing stares; a flicker of hurt passing almost imperceptibly. “I’ll wait for you downstairs... Hurry up! We're going to be late!”_  
  
 _Luke stood for a moment after Reid left, the finger of his right hand running small circles over the glass face of the watch. He quickly made a move to take it off, but stopped halfway, surprised suddenly at how strongly he felt unable to do so._  
  
 _“It’s just a watch, Snyder!" he told himself, but he attended the function that night with the watch still firmly fastened around his wrist._  
  
***  
  
“You knew even then Reid… didn’t you?” he said softly.  
  
“Ha... sorry?” Kevin asked from the bunk above, where he lay reading his book.

“Oh nothing… I was just thinking out loud…”  
  
“First sign of madness, you know?” Kevin chuckled. He seemed to be a lot happier than he had been at the beginning of the week.  
  
Before Luke could respond, one of the guards... a large man named Julio Rigley... appeared in the doorway. “Snyder, you have a visitor.”  
  
Luke blinked; checked the watch. “But it’s an hour early?”  
  
The guard said nothing, merely shrugged in a ‘nothing to do with me’ kind of way.  
  
Luke wasn’t about to argue. If he was going to be granted an extra hour of visitation, he certainly wasn’t going to waste time asking why.

“See you later Kevin,” he greeted as he hopped up, and at the same time refastened the watch to his arm.  
  
Kevin looked up from his book to wave. Luke thought he saw a strange expression on Kevin's face but he couldn’t make it out. “See ya Luke… give Mia my love…” and then just as Luke reached the door, “Thanks for everything, man…”  
  
As they walked the usual route toward the visitation area, the guard suddenly took an unexpected right turn. Luke stop dead in his tracks. He was unsure of whether to follow.  
  
“This way, Snyder…” Rigley demanded.  
  
“But…” Luke looked down the left hallway toward the door that led to the usual visitation room. “Where are we going?”  
  
Again the guard shrugged. “Just following orders.”  
  
Luke felt a little apprehensive. He may have only been at the center for a month, but he was already molded to the routine of the institution. He felt strangely out of sorts by this change in the norm.  
  
Finally they came to a locked security door; the guard used an electronic pass to allow them through. It beeped loudly. Once they entered the next hallway, Luke recognized it as the main inmate reception area he’d first arrived in.  
  
“Collect your stuff at the booth over there, and you can use these cubicles to change,” Rigley instructed.  
  
Luke frowned confused. “I’m sorry?”  
  
But the guard was back through the security door before he had a chance to question him.  
  
“What the hell?” Luke wondered. Everything about what was happening to him in that moment, led him to the conclusion that he was being released. But he couldn’t allow himself to believe that. Surely he would know if that were the case?  
  
The man in the booth handed him a clipboard that displayed a list of the items Luke left with them on his arrival. “Sign here…” the man pointed to a spot on the paper.  
  
Luke did as he was told, taking the small package containing his belongings; making his way to a cubical to change as instructed. It felt strange to be out of the blue jumpsuit and back in his normal blue jeans and striped T-shirt… Strange in a very, very good way!  
  
Standing waiting for him as he exited the cubical was Gareth. “Free at last! Free at last!” he sang.  
  
“You’re kidding me!” Luke exclaimed, his stomach fluttering.  
  
“No,” Gareth replied. “If I were joking, then I wouldn’t have bothered coming all the way down here! And you my friend, would most definitely not be standing there in your civvies!”  
  
“Just like this?” Luke asked.  
  
“Just like this!” Gareth smiled.  
  
“Oh, my God,” Luke said, softly at first but then laughing. “Does Noah know?”  
  
Gareth nodded.  
  
“ _Oh my God_!” He grabbed Gareth and hugged him hard, patting his back with glee. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”  
  
Gareth... struggling to breathe... laughed too and said, “My very great pleasure. Now shall we get out of here?”  
  
“Are you kidding? Lead the way!”  
  
Luke couldn’t wait to fling his arms around Noah outside of the detention center. _Free_! He expected to see them waiting for him right outside the main door, but the space was vacant. As they reached the parking area, he scanned the horizon looking for Noah, but instead his eyes fell on Holden. “Dad?” Luke smiled in shocked surprise. "What are you doing here?"  
  
“Hey, son!” They shared a deep hug. “You did it! You made it through… I’m really proud of you!”  
  
“Thanks Dad!” Luke broke from their embrace; checked around once more... couldn’t take anymore. “Not to sound ungrateful or anything… I mean… I’m _really_ happy to see both of you… but where’s Noah?”  
  
“Well,” Holden announced with a smile, “according to that handsome dark-haired boy I've come to know and love, you told him you wanted to get married... and I quote, 'the very moment' you got out.'”  
  
“ _No_!” Luke shouted... cottoning on, but barely believing it possible.  
  
“Yes!” Holden laughed.  
  
“Today?”  
  
“Today!”  
  
The eyes of both father and son welled up with tears and they shared a happy, laughter-filled hug.  
  
***  
  
Growing up Noah never once imagined getting married, or what his wedding would be like. Of course he would later realize it was because getting married wasn’t what he wanted; or rather, being with someone of the opposite sex wasn’t what he wanted.  
  
So it was with some relief... after Gareth told him the good news of Luke’s impending release... that he discovered Luke had left his wedding notebook in the drawer of the bedside table. This gave Noah some kind of plan to go on... at least the wedding would be somewhat how Luke had intended.  
  
It took great effort to contact and arrange transport for the people on Luke’s extensive list. Obviously being short notice, they wouldn’t get everybody to come, but Noah was sure the most important people would move heaven and earth to be there.  
  
He also had to rope Kevin into the plan. At Mia's Thursday visit with her father, Noah asked Kevin to pack Luke’s belongings after he was collected from the center. Kevin was only too happy to oblige, although he did mention he would miss Luke’s company. He also joked about how hard it would be to keep the surprise to himself!  
  
And of course there was one aspect of the wedding they still hadn't settled on. One aspect that Luke had been stuck on… location. And it was only after visiting the spot every night since Luke’s incarceration, that Noah realized how perfect it would be.  
  
There was also one thing clear from Luke’s notes… he didn’t want some flash, fancy wedding. He wanted something big... for sure... because Luke was all about family. Noah knew Luke could never imagine getting married without as many of his family and friends there to share it with them, but Luke also wanted something simple... relaxed... easy going.... just like they were…  
  
As Noah stood shifting nervously in full view of all of their friends and family... anxiously awaiting Luke's arrival... he hoped Luke would like what he’d decided on. 


	8. Chapter 8

It was strange to return home to an empty house after a month of incarceration. With the house so silent, the walls seemed to echo the stories of the past weeks. Luke couldn’t help but wonder at the times he’d missed out on. If he listened carefully, he could almost hear their voices; Nicholas and Noah eating and playing together, laughing, watching television... and just the past week, dealing with the introduction of a little girl into their lives. Luke felt a sharp pang of loss at that…  
  
But it didn’t take him long to shake it off. True, this wasn’t exactly how he pictured his homecoming, but he had a feeling this day was going to turn out to be a trillion times better than he could ever have imagined.  
  
He was home, and in a few hours he would be married to Noah... this event that he'd dreamed about from the moment he first realized he was in love with the dark-haired guy, was actually coming true.  
  
Luke had always known that he wanted to share his life with somebody. His large and close-knit family had instilled in him the values of marriage. Sure, he also knew the dangers. He'd watched his parents break up and get back together enough times to know about all about that! But he always believed the advantages greatly outweighed any disadvantages.  
  
And he believed in _them_.  
  
His body tingled in apprehension at just the thought of seeing Noah, but it positively quivered at the knowlege of marrying him.  
  
“Welcome home, Luke!” Holden announced. “Noah left your outfit on your bed. Let’s get cleaned up. I’ll use the guest bedroom to change.”  
  
“I don’t suppose you plan on giving me a hint about where we’re going?” Luke pleaded, dying to know.  
  
“Not a hope!” Holden called over his shoulder, as he disappeared into the kitchen.  
  
Luke nodded and whispered to himself, “Thought as much…”  
  
He made his way down the hallway to their room, catching his breath on entering. It was clear that Noah had spent some time preparing the room for their first night as a married couple; their first love making session in what felt like a century. Large crystal bowls of floating white flowers... candles waiting to be lit... were carefully placed around the room; some on the floor, one on the windowsill... another beside the bed; one atop the dresser.  
  
The bed was carefully made up... with Noah’s classic military neatness... in a brand new red comforter set with black, red and white accent cushions. Laid out in preparation for Luke, was his wedding outfit.  
  
It was not a typical wedding suit and not at all what he was expecting to find. A smile curled up one side of his mouth. “What are you up to, Noah?”  
  
Laid neatly on the bed, was a casual pair of white linen trousers with a matching white Cuban guayabera shirt. The items of clothing contrasted starkly with the red bedding on which they lay. Noah had left a red rose atop the outfit, with a small tag attached to the stem. Luke lifted the flower to open the note.  
  
“Beautiful Luke, will you marry me? If the answer is yes, put this on... I’ll be waiting…”  
  
Luke sat down heavily on the bed beside the outfit. He placed a hand on the fabric, tracing his fingers along the delicate white embroidered pattern that ran from shoulder to seam... just to reassure himself that it was there.

_Is this even real?_

He re-read the note; touched a finger on those three little words that had come to mean so much.

 _I’ll be waiting…_  
  
His father appeared at the doorway with a towel in his hand; on his way to the guest bathroom. He leaned against the frame watching his son with interest. “Okay?”  
  
Luke nodded quickly, too filled with emotion to speak.  
  
“Well stop wasting time, young man! Hop to it! You can’t keep him waiting forever…”  
  
As his father left the room, Luke thought how wrong his father was. He suddenly understood in that moment that Noah _would_ wait for him…

Noah had _always_ waited for him...

Noah would wait for him forever…  
  
***  
  
Noah's palms were sweaty; his knees weak with anticipation.  
  
With every passing moment, another butterfly fluttered into his stomach to join the thousands already assembled there. He was so nervous he was sure he’d bitten a hole right through his bottom lip. He knew they wouldn’t have to wait much longer. Gareth arrived from the detention center to report that Holden and Luke had made it to the house. By now they should both be dressed and ready to leave. He wondered if Luke was feeling as anxious as he was. He thought most likely not… Luke was always so much braver than he…  
  
He felt a small hand take his; looked down into the smiling freckled face of little Mia... gorgeous in her green floral summer dress; tropical flower behind one ear. The sunlight accented the diamond red strands in her hair. He was still coming to know the little girl, but there was one thing the past week had convinced him of… the child was born from the sun itself. The way her smile lit up her face would cause even the cruelest of men to crumble at her mercy. Everything about her spoke of sunshine, surf, ice-cream and happiness... and she had an uncanny knack, like right in that moment, of knowing exactly when a person needed a little TLC.  
  
“Noah?” The tentative voice came from Natalie. The past month had been difficult for her too.  
  
“Hey, Nat.”  
  
“I just wanted to say… I mean…” she looked down at her feet; smoothed her hands nervously down her blue pastel bridesmaid dress.  
  
“Nat?” He waited for her to look up at him. “I don’t blame you and neither does Luke. It was just one of those things, okay?”  
  
“But you’ve had to be apart for so long! I was so stupid! If I hadn’t run off that night then none of it would have happened!”  
  
Noah pressed a kiss to her head; held her hand. “Nobody’s to blame. It was a terrible accident and it’s all over and done with now, okay?”  
  
She looked up at him sadly.  
  
“Smile will you? This is a happy day!”  
  
And she did, before hugging him. “I love you, Noah! I already think of you as my big brother, but I’m so glad I get to call you that legally now!”  
  
When she stepped back Noah gave her the most reassuring smile he could manage through his nerves and asked, “Can you do me a favor and watch out for Mia today? I’m worried she’ll get overwhelmed among all these new people.”  
  
“Of course.” She reached out to take Mia’s hand. “Come Mia, let’s wait over here…”  
  
“Is that them?” he heard Lily ask.  
  
Sure enough... some distance away... he made out two figures just coming into view. As always, his heart knew instantly what his eyes could not yet make out… it was Luke.  
  
***   
  
They were lucky with the weather. It was a beautiful day; not too hot, but with a cool and soft breeze blowing off the water. Luke guessed where they were going when, instead of heading for the car, Holden walked off in the direction of the beach.  
  
The outfit suddenly made sense.  
  
They both removed their shoes as they reached the sand; left them among the piles of other pairs they assumed must belong to the wedding guests. The small beach cal-de-sac at the end of the road was positively packed with cars parked haphazardly wherever there was space.  
  
The sight that greeted them as the sparkling ocean came into view, caused Luke to inhale such a deep breath of air, he thought he might pass out from it.

At the bottom of the dune, right at the spot where they often sat together night after night... talking, kissing, hugging, holding hands... was a throng of friends and family. They stood on two sides to form a makeshift isle between them. Thoughtful as always, Noah had made sure there were a few fold-up chairs placed in the front and under the shade for those guests who required them, but the majority of people stood barefoot on the sand.  
  
His eager eyes swept over the shuffling crowd; quickly found the tall figure standing in an outfit very similar to his own, with a man Luke assumed must be the minister. They stood sheltered from the sun beneath a small white gazebo like structure, decorated on each corner with bright and colorful tropical flowers. Even from that distance, Luke could tell how nervous Noah was. He had this way of standing with his hands clenched in front of him, and he would shift from one foot to the other. Luke could already feel the magnetism they shared urging his feet forward and closer to him.  
  
Luke smelt the lamb on a spit before he saw it, but way off behind the wedding party a number of men and women were busily preparing for the wedding reception. A temporary wooden dance floor had been set up upon the sand and a number of round dinner tables dotted the space. Each table was covered in a white tablecloth, offset with a sea blue runner.  
  
An endlessly long table ran along the beach filled with all kinds of food to go along with the lamb; so that they could all enjoy a barbecue like atmosphere after the ceremony.  
  
It took a moment before he realized that a photographer was already taking pictures of them arriving at the wedding, and he could see a few other people with cameras dotted around the scene. It didn’t look as if Noah had forgotten a thing!  
  
As his eyes returned to Noah, he saw the man bend down to two tiny figures by his side and point upward. The instant the boys caught sight of Luke they sped off in his direction as fast as they could, racing each other up the dune; kicking sand up in their wake. They looked adorable in tiny versions of the same out outfit Luke and Noah wore, except their trousers were beige rather than white.  
  
The children flew up the dune, their arms already wide and expectant, “Luuuukkkkkeeee!”  
  
“Hey!” Luke laughed; bent to catch Ethan who as the older child reached him first. Luke swirled him around; dropped him just in time to catch Nicholas as he arrived for his turn. “Look how handsome you guys are!”  
  
“Noah’s been waiting for you!” Nicholas chastised, his arms wrapped firmly around Luke’s neck.  
  
“Yes,” Luke agreed softly, allowing his eyes to once more fall on Noah in the distance, “Noah’s always been waiting for me, hasn’t he?”  
  
Holden smiled, reading the double meaning in Luke's words.  
  
“Yes! And us too! And Grandma! And Mia also! Evwybody!”  
  
“Well, let’s not keep them waiting any longer...”  
  
With Nicholas on one hip and Ethan between them... clasping their hands... Luke and Holden made their way down the dune toward the waiting guests.  
  
Toward Noah.  
  
***   
  
_The rest of the family had drifted off to bed, leaving Luke and Noah alone in the kitchen. Luke thanked God for the support of his family. Without them they’d never have been able to pull it all off. He knew how much they would need their help in the future too._  
  
 _Noah was contemplating the marriage certificate in his hand._  
  
 _“Pretty official looking..." Luke tried to joke, although he didn’t find anything about the whole business to be funny. He knew he wouldn’t be doing Noah any favors by acting like a spoiled brat about it all. He had promised to support them. Noah marrying Ameera was a joint decision they all made together, and that was how they would bare the consequence… together... even if his heart ached in his chest, and he couldn't help but wonder whether it would continue to ache for the full five years the marriage needed to last for._  
  
 _“_ _Signed, sealed and delivered by the state of Illinois," Noah replied, also trying to sound light-hearted, but instead sounding like a trapped puppy. “No turning back now…”_  
  
 _Luke moved to stand closer._ _“This might be silly," Luke said, "but, I still hope that one day we’ll have one of those with our names on it.”_

 _That day seemed even further away than it ever had before._  
  
 _“You and me both.”_  
  
 _Luke smile as a spark of hope flickered. “You promise?”_  
  
 _“I do!” They both laughed, and it was full and real as they fell into each other’s arms, w_ _here they both felt they belonged._  
  
***  
  
Holden held back as they finally reached the waiting guests. They watched as Ethan ran up through the isle of people to find Lily standing near the front.  
  
“Why are you stopping?” Luke asked his father.  
  
Holden smiled softly for a moment, taking a deep breath, before continuing to walk his son up between the two rows of onlookers, one hand between Luke’s shoulder blades. They stopped once they reached the end of the makeshift aisle. “I guess this is it!”  
  
“I guess so.” Luke was already beaming from ear-to-ear, his eyes having been glued to Noah’s the whole walk up the isle. But he smiled even more when he briefly tore his eyes away from Noah to see the look of pride on his father’s face; reminded once more how lucky he was to have the strong support of his family. “Thanks, Dad.”  
  
Holden cupped his cheeks; drew his head forward to kiss his forehead. “I love you, son.”  
  
“I love you too, Dad.”  
  
As his father took Nicholas from Luke; stepped to the side next to Lily... Luke moved forward to quickly kiss his mother on both cheeks. “Love you too, Mom.”  
  
She proceeded to burst into a puddle of tears that rendered her speechless; indicated with her hand that he should continue.  
  
She didn’t have to tell him twice. He turned and noticed for the first time that Maddie was standing to Noah’s left; waiting for Luke was his brother, Aaron. His mind flashed to the first thing he wrote in his notebook.  
  
Bestman: Aaron  
  
“Hey brother,” Aaron smiled, and Luke admired how handsome he looked; dark hair scrapped back, wearing a guayabera with a brown embroidered pattern.  
  
“I have a question for you…” Luke began.  
  
“Yeah, what’s that?”  
  
“Will you be my bestman, big brother?” Luke laughed.  
  
“Don’t you know it?” Aaron smiled, and they shared a quick hug.  
  
“Thanks for coming,” Luke whispered.  
  
“Wouldn’t have missed it for anything!”  
  
He kissed a tearful but happy Maddie hello; turned... finally able to focus his full attention on Noah.  
  
“Hi,” he sighed, as he stepped to Noah’s right.  
  
Noah’s smile was as broad as his own as he answered, “Hello.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding!

The sound of ocean waves crashing on the shore formed a natural melodic atmosphere. The sand felt warm under his feet as Luke dug his toes in as an anchorage.  
  
“Our beach…”  
  
Noah nodded. “ _Our_ beach.”  
  
“Noah…” Luke shook his head; gestured at their surroundings, his skin forming goose-bumps. “This is just… it’s… In my wildest dreams I could never…” He flopped his arms to his sides, giving up when he couldn’t think of any way to aptly describe it. “It’s perfect!”

"Luke Snyder, at a loss for words! I never thought I'd see the day!" Noah teased, grin stretching from ear-to-ear.

Luke laughed, as did those present.

“I know we haven’t had a rehearsal,” Noah said softly, “but I figured we’d know what to do once we came to it…”  
  
“I think so too…” Luke bit his bottom lip; couldn’t keep his eyes from sweeping up and down the fine-looking man in front of him. The embroidery on Noah’s white guayabera was blue, matching his eyes and highlighting his tanned skin. The shirt seemed to accent all the right areas, hinting at the promise of what lay beneath. “You look incredible!”  
  
“So do you. They were Nat’s idea. The shirts I mean…” Noah was studying him with an expression of complete infatuation.  
  
Luke shook his head yet again, basking from the warmth of Noah's gaze. “I keep thinking I should pinch myself, because I’m sure I’m dreaming!”  
  
Noah laughed; pursed his lips in the way he usually did whenever he was happy. “No, you’re not dreaming. This is really happening…”  
  
Luke sighed loudly as nerves and emotion threatened to overwhelm him. He felt suddenly glued in place, and they were content to simply smile and stare at each other in wonderment.  
  
“Excuse me?” the minister interrupted, after it seemed they had lost themselves for a few moments. “Are we ready to begin?”  
  
“Oh, yes!” Noah said, forcing himself to look briefly away from Luke; acknowledge the minister. A few of the wedding guests giggled.  
  
But Noah looked far from ready. That want Luke was reading in his eyes seemed to be consuming him. Just as the minister opened his mouth to start the nuptials, Noah stuttered, “Wait! Sorry! Before you… I just need too...” He stepped forward in a flash; pulled Luke into a vice-like hug.  
  
They giggled until they were crying with delight. Noah pulled back to look Luke over; kissed him lightly a few times all over his face, thumbing the tears from his cheeks in the process. It had been a full week since they’d held each other, and Noah's touch vibrated through Luke’s body.  
  
“You're free!” Noah exclaimed.  
  
“We’re getting married!” Luke countered and they laughed again.  
  
By this point the guests had joined in, infected by their gaiety.  
  
Noah hugged Luke so tight and for so long, Luke wanted nothing more than to stay in that warm embrace forever. So it was with some difficultly that he finally uttered, “Um Noah?” He gestured with a nod to the right. “What do you say we let this nice man marry us off?”  
  
Noah blinked; quickly stood back... arms at his sides. “Oh, yes! Sorry,” he said directly to the minister; then addressed their guests, “Sorry everyone! Yes, please go on…”  
  
Luke felt like he would never be able to stop smiling. Noah was adorable beyond belief, and it was obvious their guest thought so too as they laughed out loud at him.  
  
“Not at all,” the jolly man replied. “It’s what weddings are all about!” Everything seemed to focus down to that moment. They locked ardent eyes as the minister spoke, “Let us begin.”  
  
Luke released a slow breath, and except for the sound of waves and the occasional seagull, a warm silence fell.  
  
“Dearly beloved, we come together today to join Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer in marriage, reminding them that it is an estate desired and cherished by all generations.”  
  
“It’s happening!” Luke thought to himself. “Oh, my god! This is actually happening!”

He thought about how miserable he was that morning, facing yet another predictable day in the stuffy center; how ironic it was when he considered his thoughts were focused on the watch Noah had given him. By some magic he found himself standing on a beach... savoring the salty air... surrounded by the people he loved; about to marry the man of his dreams.  
  
He smiled as Nicholas decided to stand between them; lean back into Noah’s legs. He peered up at Luke admiringly. Noah bent briefly so that his hands rested on Nicholas’s chest, and the boy gripped up at Noah’s arms. He stayed there for a time, then ran off to stand with Ethan by Holden's side.  
  
“…with a love that will not waver and an abiding faith in one another, they will now make their vows, as we their witnesses, friends and family, promise to support them, as they begin the weaving of their lives in an endless togetherness.” As the minister continued, Luke smiled out into the crowd of cheerful faces. He couldn’t believe how many people had made the effort to attend on such short notice. Both grandmothers were seated right up front; John accompanying Lucinda as expected. Emma was balancing little Eliza on her knee while simultaneously dabbing a tissue to her eyes. Even Lucinda appeared to have shed a tear or two. His big sister Abigail stood near her grandmothers, thoughtfully supplying the tissues. She mouthed hello when Luke saw her.   
  
Behind them Luke spotted Casey and Alison, who both waved when he looked their way. Noah must have introduced them to Jonathan, because he stood smiling to their right, trying to keep his attention on the wedding rather than on Maddie, who looked just stunning in her blue dress. And to their left, Luke was ecstatic to see that his cousin Jade had also made it to the wedding.  
  
His eyes recognized other familiar Oakdale faces too; Jack and Carly had made it with Parker, JJ and Sage. Dusty and Janet stood close by with their baby son, and to their right stood Lucy and his Aunt Sierra, who he hadn’t seen for some time.  
  
He also noted many of Noah’s colleagues from work, including Melanie and her husband Jake. He spotted Jasmine and her new man, who Luke had yet to meet and Betty and Gareth.  
  
And of course, his immediate family stood right up front. Lily and Holden, now officially together since Holden moved back into the house. They stood with his sisters. Faith and Natalie... both bridesmaids for the wedding. Natalie stood with young Josh and held Mia in her arms. The little girl smiled shyly at him when he waved to her. 

He didn’t have time to note everybody, but he knew there would be plenty of time for that during the reception party, so he returned his attention to Noah and the minister.  
  
“Luke and Noah have chosen to pledge their own promises to each other. Noah, would you like to begin?”  
  
Noah nodded, took a deep and unsteady breath. Instead of addressing Luke, he looked out over their friends and family; spoke directly to them. “I insisted that when we did this Luke should stand on my right. And we had a little scrap about it… you know? Because then he started to tease me about wanting to be the girl in this relationship!”  
  
Luke snorted and there was an eruption of laughter and a few wolf whistles from their guests. Noah’s cheeks turned beetroot red but he persevered. “But there’s a reason why I wanted things this way...”  
  
The crowd was quick to quiet again, anxious not to miss one word of what Noah was saying. Luke cocked his head, trying to anticipate him. Noah had yet to look back in his direction.  
  
“It’s because I’m right handed and…” Noah lifted his palm up to show them, “this is my strongest hand so” he reached out to interlace Luke’s waiting fingers in his own, his eyes firmly fixed on their joining, “when I take his in mine, I know I’m gripping on with as much force as possible. So that I never have to let him go and I can pass my strength onto him…”  
  
Their gripped hands were radiating an energy; a power that swept through Luke in waves of comfort and happiness. He felt a few tears tickle a path down his cheeks; wiped them away with his free hand. He held his breath as the blue eyes finally rose to meet his in a soft gaze. There was so much love in them.  
  
“…and hopefully this way I can show him... however symbolically... that I will always be here for him, no matter what. Right here! Holding his hand! Right where I want to be…”  
  
“Awe!” exclaimed a few people, and Luke looked around shyly, long enough to notice how almost everyone was either in tears or on the verge of them.  
  
Noah gazed directly at Luke with a stare so piercing Luke froze in place. “Luke, we both know I’m not great with words. Whenever I speak I get no where near to expressing what’s going on in my heart. But I’m going to try my best right now, okay?”  
  
“Okay…” Luke whispered in a shuddering breath, completely spellbound by him.  
  
“From the first moment I saw you, when you slapped that pile of paperwork in my arms, I was fascinated by you.”

Luke laughed a little as he remembered. There were a few giggles from the crowd too, notably from Maddie who was there at the time.

“My true heart was closed. I had locked that part of myself down so tight… but somehow you had the key. You didn’t even have to try. You just walked right though that closed door like you belonged there... like you owned that part of me. And you wound up inside here.” Noah's left hand came up flat against his chest. "And I'd never been more terrified or happier in my life." They shared a moment as Noah allowed the words to settle. Their audience was absolutely dead-quiet. “And now this love between us,” he took a breath as he sobbed slightly, “this love that you give me so freely... so willingly… has become my home... my safe place... and I can’t even remember what life was like before you. I promise to be the man who deserves your love…” his voice fell to a whisper “…and I’ll never take it for granted.” Again Noah paused as he fought to compose himself before continuing, “You’re my hero Luke... my best friend... and today I give myself to you completely…” Luke was shuddering as Noah took hold of his other hand. “Luke, I promise that I will love, honor and cherish you for as long as I live... if you’ll have me...”  
  
By this point Luke was a blubbering mess; starting to wish he’d been asked to go first. He wondered how he was going to get one word out, let alone top the amazing vows Noah had just made to him.  
  
 _Not great with words?_  
  
“Thank you, Noah,” said the minister. “What a lovely testament. Now Luke, would you like to begin?”  
  
Luke nodded, trying to stem the tears and find his voice. He held up a hand to ask for a minute; heard as a number of people took advantage of the pause to blow their noses which prompted him to ask, “Um… does anyone have a spare Keenex?”  
  
Noah was also welling up, but it didn’t stop him from sniggering at Luke. It was Lily that stepped forward to help. They had to wait as Luke composed himself.  
  
“Thanks, Mom...” Luke coughed. A hard lump had formed in Luke's throat. He had to linger a while longer. When he felt ready, he turned to address their guests, just as Noah had done a few moments before. “How do I top that?”  
  
He drank in the love he saw in the faces surrounding them as they laughed at how he... Luke Snyder... once again appeared to be the one lost for words.  
  
But eventually he was able to speak. “When people start to date for the first time they might think they’re in love,” he shook his head, “but most of them aren’t. Most people don’t end up with the first person they date, or the second, or even the third. Some are never lucky enough to find true love. First dates are like trial runs for the main event, you know?”  
  
A few people nodded their agreement.  
  
“But when Noah and I first met, fate had other plans for us. We weren’t destined to share a mere childhood fling… oh no! We were in love pretty much from the start… And… and we were _so_ young! We were seventeen... teenagers... with this unbelievably powerful love between us. We didn’t know what to do with it half the time! It was all-consuming… overwhelming! And I think… I think sometimes we just weren’t experienced enough, or sure enough within ourselves, to deal with that level of emotion.” Noah looked down at the sand, listening intently as Luke spoke to the crowd. “There’s a song I heard once... and I’m paraphrasing the band’s lyrics here... but I think these words might help to explain what I’m trying to say,” he paused as he tried to gather his thoughts. He wanted it to come out right. “Back when we first met… the potential of Noah and me was like a book... elegantly bound, but in a language we couldn’t yet understand to read.” He gazed back up at Noah; retook his shaky hands, waiting until Noah recovered enough to look back up at him. “But we know how to read that book now… don’t we, bubby?”  
  
Noah nodded into his gaze; released a wet laugh. “Yes.”  
  
“So here we are…”  
  
Noah visibly swallowed back the nerves. It reminded Luke so much of those first tentative times together, that he felt sure his heart would explode with the affection he held for him.  
  
“Things haven’t always been easy between us… There have been times when we’ve almost called the whole thing off… almost given up… But this feeling when the two of us are together… this feeling has always been there, even during the times when we were apart. It’s the one thing that has never changed, has never faltered, and it’s never been broken… no matter how bad things got. Not even for a minute...”  
  
“And it’s why we’re still here,” Noah agreed.  
  
Luke smiled softly at him. “Yes... Absolute, pure, true love. So I could stand here and promise to love you and honor you and cherish you, but I don’t need to. Because being with you is an honor and a pleasure and a privilege that I am just the luckiest person on earth to have,” he found himself laughing out loud. “And sometimes I still can’t believe it!”  
  
Noah sighed softly. “Me neither…”  
  
“I do love you, and I do honor you, and I do cherish you, and that will never change. That’s forever. That’s the easiest promise I could ever make…”  
  
It was Noah’s turn to cry. Always better at hiding his feelings in front of people than Luke, it was only a few tears that fell, but Luke could see the depth of Noah's feeling behind the eyes... made bluer as he stood with the ocean behind him.  
  
“Thank you, Luke,” the minister continued. “That was beautiful. Now Noah, do you take Luke to be your husband? Do you promise to love him from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, and to protect him always? If so, please say I do.”  
  
Noah's face was washed with amazement at the words he was finally able to say, his hands squeezing tighter into Luke’s. “I do.”  
  
“Luke, do you take Noah to be your husband? Do you promise to love him from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, and to protect him always? If so, please say I do.”  
  
Luke couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud again. “Definitely! Definitely… I do!”  
  
“May I have the rings, please?”

Aaron stepped forward, placed one hand on Luke’s shoulder; reached over with the other to pass the rings to the minster.  
  
Taking a closer look, Luke’s eyes widened. “You found them?”  
  
“You didn’t exactly hide them very well!” Noah teased.  
  
“Yes, I did! The problem is you’re so nosy that I can’t hide anything from you!”  
  
“You got that right!”  
  
Luke caught his father grinning at the two of them and he smiled back. Silly banter had always played such a huge roll in their relationship. It felt right they should share a few playful words during their vows.  
  
The minister held up his arms, a platinum band in each hand. “These rings are a symbol of the promise made between these two people before me, a promise that binds them together in an eternal commitment.” He handed one ring to Noah and Luke let out a breathy laugh as Noah began to slip it on his finger. “Luke, I give you this ring as a token and a pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.”  
  
“You really _did_ study my notebook, didn’t you?”  
  
“Every word...”  
  
The ring felt cool and beautiful on his hand.  
  
The minster leaned over to hand him the final ring, and it was his turn to slip a ring on Noah’s hand. “Noah, I give you this ring as a token and a pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.”  
  
They couldn’t stop grinning at each other as they realized the moment of truth had finally arrived.  
  
“You have declared your consent and your vows before God, state, family and friends. People gathered here, Luke and Noah have given themselves to each other, and I can formally announce them as husbands for life. Please show your appreciation by the clapping of hands.”  
  
His family would later say that the cheering and eruption of applause was deafening... even outside as they were... but right then Luke couldn’t hear it. In that moment they were totally alone together, wrapped in an overwhelming warmth and love for each other; reveling in the joy that they were actually… finally… married.  
  
Noah cupped Luke’s neck, fixing him with a steady blue gaze. Luke reached up to cup Noah’s in the same way. They leaned forward... chests heaving with emotion... to share their first kiss as a married couple. The shudder that went through Luke went through Noah, as though they shared one flesh. It was a sweet, slow and gentle kiss that lasted for as long as they both wanted it too. In that moment, nothing and nobody mattered but them.  
  
When they finally came up for air, still holding each other gently by the neck, Luke declared, “I’m so incredibly happy...”  
  
It took a while before they noticed the shower of rose petals raining down on them, thrown from the hands of their family and friends gathered round.  
  
Noah’s smile reached his ears. He brushed back a few of Luke’s bangs that had blown there in the sea breeze, staring at him as though memorizing his face. “Same here.”


End file.
